Interface connection structure

Abstract

An interface connection structure (100) adapted to a printed circuit board (200), the printed circuit board (200) comprising at least one connector (210), each of the at least one connector (210) comprising a slot (211), the slot (211) extending along a plugging direction (d3), and the plugging direction (d3) being perpendicular to the printed circuit board (200), the interface connection structure (100) comprising: a base (110) disposed on the circuit board (200), the base (110) having at least one connector opening (111), the at least one connector (210) being located within the at least one connector opening (111); and a heat dissipation connection structure (120) detachably connected to the base (110) along the plugging direction (d3), wherein the heat dissipation connection structure (120) comprises a first housing (121) and a second housing (122), wherein the second housing (122) is movably connected to the first housing (121) and encloses a receiving space (P1) with the first housing (121), the first housing (121) has at least one connector opening (1211), the receiving space (P1) is adapted to be arranged with at least one interface device (300), and each of the at least one interface device (300) has a connecting portion (310); when the at least one interface device (300) is arranged in the receiving space (P1), the connecting portion (310) is exposed from the at least one connection opening (1211), the heat dissipation connection structure (120) is adapted to be connected to the base (110) along the insertion direction (d3), whereby the connecting portion (310) is inserted into the slot (211).

Description

BACKGROUNDTechnical FieldThe disclosure relates to a connection structure, and more particularly to an interface connection structure.Prior ArtNowadays, when an interface device (e.g., an M.2 interface card) is electrically connected to a circuit board, it must be connected to a corresponding connector on the circuit board via an adapter plate. The interface device is screwed to the adapter plate and the adapter plate is screwed to the printed circuit board, which is disadvantageous for the assembly and disassembly of the interface device and the adapter plate. The screws require special tools for disassembly and assembly, which is impractical. During the mounting operation, problems may easily occur such as dropping screws, improper mounting, and damage to the circuit board by improper use of tools.SUMMARYThe disclosure provides an interface connection structure that facilitates connection of an interface device to a circuit board.The interface connection structure of the disclosure is adapted to a printed circuit board. The circuit board includes at least one connector, each of the at least one connectors having a slot. The slot extends along a mating direction, and the mating direction is perpendicular to the circuit board. The interface connection structure includes a base and a heat dissipation connection structure. The base is disposed on the circuit board, and the base includes at least one connector opening. The at least one connector is located within the at least one connector opening. The heat dissipation connection structure may be detachably connected to the base along the mating direction. The heat dissipation connection structure includes a first housing and a second housing, the second housing being movably connected to the first housing and enclosing a receiving space with the first housing. The first housing includes at least one connection opening, the accommodation space is adapted to be disposed with at least one interface device, and each of the at least one interface device has a connection portion. When the interface device is disposed in the accommodating space, the connection portion is exposed from the connection opening, the heat dissipation connection structure may be connected to the base along the insertion direction, thereby inserting the connection portion into the slot.Based on the above, the heat dissipation connection structure of the interface connection structure of the disclosure is used to hold the interface device with the connection portion of the interface device exposed from the heat dissipation connection structure. The base of the interface connection structure is set on the circuit board, and the heat dissipation connection structure can be inserted into the base, whereby the connection portion of the interface device can be directly and stably connected to the connector of the circuit board.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGSFIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of an interface interconnect structure according to an embodiment of the disclosure. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the interface interconnect structure of FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the interface connection structure of FIG. 1. FIG. 4 is a schematic illustration of the base of FIG. 3. FIG. 5 is a schematic illustration of the heat dissipation connection structure of FIG. 3 after opening. FIG. 6 is an exploded view of the heat dissipation connection structure of FIG. 3. FIG. 7 is a schematic illustration of the fourth component of FIG. 6 in the first position. FIG. 8 is a partially enlarged view of the fourth member of FIG. 7. FIG. 9 is a schematic illustration of the fourth component of FIG. 7 in the second position. FIG. 10 is a partially enlarged view of the fourth member of FIG. 9.DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTSFIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of an interface interconnect structure according to an embodiment of the disclosure. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the interface connection structure of FIG. 1, FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the interface connection structure of FIG. 1, FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of the base of FIG. 3, FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of the heat dissipation connection structure of FIG. 3 after opening. FIG. 6 is an exploded view of the heat dissipation connection structure of FIG. 3, A first direction d 1, a second direction d 2, and a plugging direction d 3 that are perpendicular to each other are provided here to facilitate the description of the components. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 6, the interface connection structure 100 is configured to connect at least one interface device 300 to a circuit board 200. The circuit board 200 includes at least one connector 210. The interface connection structure 100 includes a base 110 and a heat dissipation connection structure 120. The base 110 is disposed on the circuit board 200 along the mating direction d 3 and includes at least one connector opening 111. The at least one connector 210 is located within the at least one connector opening 111. The heat dissipation connection structure 120 may be detachably connected to the base 110 along the insertion direction d 3. The plugging direction d 3 is perpendicular to a surface 220 of the circuit board 200. In this embodiment, the number of connectors 210 is three and the number of interface devices 300 is two, but is not limited thereto.Each connector 210 has a slot 211, and the slot 211 extends along the fitting direction d 3. The heat dissipation connection structure 120 includes a first housing 121 and a second housing 122. The second housing 122 is movably connected to the first housing 121 via a hinge R and includes a receiving space P 1 with the first housing 121. The interface device 300 can be accommodated in the accommodation space P 1. Each interface device 300 includes a connection portion 310. The first housing 121 includes at least one communication hole 1211, and the communication hole 1211 communicates with the accommodation space P 1. When the interface device 300 is disposed in the heat dissipation connection structure 120, the connection portion 310 of the interface device 300 is exposed from the corresponding connection opening 1211. At this time, the heat dissipation connection structure 120 may be connected to the base 110 along the fitting direction d 3, thereby inserting the connection portion 310 into the slot 211 of the corresponding connector 210.Thereby, the interface device 300 is stably held within the heat dissipation connection structure 120 and is stably connected to the connector 210 of the circuit board 200 through the base 110. The interface device 300 is directly connected to the circuit board 200 through the interface connection structure 100 without requiring connection to the circuit board 200 through a matching card (not shown). The process of connecting and releasing the heat dissipation connection structure 120 to and from the base 110 does not require the use of tools, thereby achieving tool-free assembly and disassembly. In this embodiment, the interface device 300 is an M.2 interface card and the corresponding connector 210 of the circuit board 200 is an M.2 connector. The connector 210 may be an NVMe (NVM Express) connector.As shown in FIG. 3, the base 110 further includes a bottom surface 112, a side surface 113, and a plurality of guide ribs 114. The side surface 113 surrounds and is connected to the bottom surface 112, the connection openings 111 are located on the bottom surface 112, and the guide ribs 114 are connected to the side surface 113 and extend along the plug-in direction d 3. When the heat dissipation connection structure 120 is connected to the base 110, the guide ribs 114 contact the heat dissipation connection structure 120 to reduce the contact area between the base 110 and the heat dissipation connection structure 120, thereby reducing friction between the base 110 and the heat dissipation connection structure 120 and avoiding excessive friction that may make it difficult to plug and disconnect the heat dissipation connection structure 120.As illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 3, the heat dissipation connection structure 120 includes a heat dissipation region A 1 and a connection region A 2. The areas of the heat dissipation area A 1 and the connection area A 2 are defined according to the connection manner between the heat dissipation connection structure 120 and the base 110. When the heat dissipation connection structure 120 is connected to the base 110, the connection region A 2 is located in the base 110 while the heat dissipation region A 1 is exposed. One portion of the first housing 121 and the second housing 122 is located in the heat dissipation region A 1, and the other portion of the first housing 121 and the second housing 122 is located in the connection region A 2. The communication hole 1211 is located in the communication area A 2.The material of the portions of the first housing 121 and the second housing 122 located in the heat dissipation region A 1 may include metal having better heat conduction properties, such as aluminum. When the interface device 300 is disposed in the heat dissipation connection structure 120, a portion of the interface device 300 is located in the heat dissipation region A 1 and is thermally coupled to the heat dissipation connection structure 120, thereby increasing the heat dissipation region of the interface device 300 and improving the heat dissipation efficiency of the interface connection structure 100. The interface connection structure 100 may optionally also include a cooling device 130. The cooling device 130 is disposed in the heat dissipation region A 1 of the heat dissipation connection structure 120. When the interface device 300 is disposed in the heat dissipation connection structure 120, the cooling device 130 is thermally coupled to the interface device 300 to improve the heat dissipation performance of the interface connection structure 100. The cooling device 130 may be disposed on the first housing 121 and / or the second housing 122. The cooling device 130 includes, among other things, a cooling fin and a fan. For example, the cooling fin may be integrated with the heat dissipation connection structure 120, and the fan may be externally mounted on the heat dissipation connection structure 120 by fasteners, but is not limited thereto.As shown in FIGS. 2, 5, and 6, the first housing 121 of the heat dissipation connection structure 120 includes a first member 1212 and a second member 1213 connected to each other, and the second housing 122 includes a third member 1222 and a third member 1222. The third member 1221 of the second housing 122 is rotatably connected to an end E 1 of the first member 1212 of the first housing 121. The connection hole 1211 of the heat dissipation connection structure 120 is located on the second member 1213 of the first housing 121, and the other end E 2 of the first member 1212 is connected to the second member 1213 by a bracket. The fourth member 1222 is slidably connected to the third member 1221, the second member 1213 and the fourth member 1222 are located in the connection region A 2. When the heat dissipation connection structure 120 is connected to the base 110, the second member 1213 and the fourth member 1222 are located inside the base 110. In this embodiment, the material of the first component 1212 and the third component 1221 may be a metal with better thermal conductivity properties, such as, but not limited to, aluminum. The material of the second member 1213 and the fourth member 1222 may be, but is not limited to, plastic.The first housing 121 may optionally include a plurality of positioning members 1214 and a plurality of guide posts 1215 disposed in the first component 1212. The guide posts 1215 are arranged along the insertion direction d 3 to divide the accommodation space P 1 into a plurality of accommodation subspaces P 2. The interface devices 300 may be disposed in the accommodation subspaces P 2. The positioning members 1214 may stably position the respective interface devices 300 disposed in the accommodation subspace P 2 in the heat dissipation connection structure 120 in any known manner.The heat dissipation connection structure 120 also includes a connection member 124. The third member 1221 includes a first slide groove 1223, and the fourth member 1222 includes a second slide groove 1224 and an auxiliary slide groove 1225. The first sliding groove 1223, the second sliding groove 1224, and the auxiliary sliding groove 1225 extend along the plugging direction d3. The shape of the second slide groove 1224 is cucurbit-shaped, but is not limited thereto. The connecting member 124 is connected to the third member 1221 and passes through the auxiliary slide groove 1225 so that the fourth member 1222 can be movably connected to the third member 1221 and can switch between a first position N 1 (illustrated in FIG. 7 ) and a second position N 2 (illustrated in FIG. 9 ) along the fitting direction d 3. When the fourth member 1222 is located at different positions, different parts of the first slide groove 1223 and the second slide groove 1224 form corresponding through holes.FIG. 7 is a schematic illustration of the fourth component of FIG. 6 in the first position. FIG. 8 is a partially enlarged view of the fourth member of FIG. 7. with reference to FIGS. 5 to 8, the fourth member 1222 specifically includes an opening 1226 and a restricting member 1227. The opening 1226 extends along the plug-in direction d 3. The restriction member 1227 is connected to an inner side surface S 1 of the opening 1226, and has a groove recessed along the fitting direction d 3. The opening 1226 and the groove of the restricting member 1227 together form the second slide groove 1224. The width W 1 of a first portion B 1 of the second slide groove 1224 in the direction perpendicular to the insertion direction d 3 (i.e., the second direction d 2) is greater than the width W 2 of a second portion B 2 of the second slide groove 1224 and corresponds to the width W 3 of the opening 1226. The width W2 of the second portion B2 is equal to the width of the groove of the restricting member 1227. The thickness of the restriction member 1227 in the direction perpendicular to the insertion direction d 3 (i.e., the first direction d 1) is less than the thickness of the opening 1226, but is not limited thereto.The heat dissipation connection structure 120 also includes a locking member 123. The locking element 123 is arranged in the first component 1212 of the first housing 121. The locking member 123 includes a head 1231 and a neck 1232 which are connected to each other. A width W 4 of the head 1231 in the direction perpendicular to the insertion direction d 3 (i.e., the second direction d 2) is larger than a width W 5 of the neck 1232. When the fourth member 1222 is in the first position N 1, the first slide groove 1223 and the first portion B 1 of the second slide groove 1224 form a first through hole OP 1. The width W 6 of the first through hole OP 1 (i.e., the width W 3 of the first portion B 1) is greater than or equal to the width W 4 of the head 1231 of the locking member 123. Thereby, the locking member 123 releases the second housing 122, and the second housing 122 can rotate relative to the first housing 121. When the second housing 122 is closed on the first housing 121, the neck 1232 of the locking member 123 passes through the first through hole OP 1 (i.e., the first slide groove 1223 and the first portion B 1 of the second slide groove 1224), and the head 1231 of the locking member 123 is located inside the opening 1226 of the second slide groove 1224. There is a distance D between an end E 3 of the second component 1213 remote from the hinge R and an end E 4 of the fourth component 1222 remote from the hinge R. The distance D is greater than zero.FIG. 9 is a schematic view of the fourth component of FIG. 7 in the second position. FIG. 10 is a partially enlarged view of the fourth member of FIG. 9 ; the fourth member 1222 can forcibly slide to the second position N 2 relative to the third member 1221 along the plugging direction d 3. When the fourth member 1222 is in the second position N 2, the distance between the end E 3 of the second member 1213 and the end E 4 of the fourth member 1222 is zero. The first slide groove 1223 and the second portion B 2 of the second slide groove 1224 form a second through hole OP 2. The width W 7 of the second through hole OP 2 (i.e., the width W 2 of the second portion B 2) is smaller than the width W 4 of the head 1231 and greater than or equal to the width W 5 of the neck 1232. In this embodiment, the width W 7 is greater than the width W 4, but is not limited thereto. Thereby, the head 1231 of the locking member 123 can restrict the movement of the second housing 122 (the restricting member 1227) relative to the first housing 121 in the first direction d 1 and the second direction d 2, thereby restricting the rotation of the second housing 122 relative to the first housing 121, so that the second housing 122 is stably closed on the first housing 121.When the heat dissipation connection structure 120 is connected to the base 110 (shown in FIG. 1 ), the fourth member 1222 may be in the first position N 1. During insertion into the base 110, the fourth member 1222 is slid from the bottom 112 (shown in FIG. 4 ) of the base 110 to the second position N 2. The user may also first place the fourth member 1222 in the second position N 2 before inserting the heat dissipation connection structure 120 into the base 110.As shown in FIGS. 7 and 9, the fourth member 1222 of the second housing 122 further includes an operation hole B 3 and a recess 1228 and the third member 1221 of the second housing 122 further includes a protrusion 1229. The user's fingers may push the fourth member 1222 through the actuation opening B 3, and the cooperation of the protrusion 1229 and the recess 1228 may limit the sliding travel of the fourth member 1222 relative to the third member 1221.As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the base 110 further includes a first positioning hole 115, an auxiliary hole 116, and a second positioning hole 117. The heat dissipation connection structure 120 also includes a first positioning protrusion 125 and a second positioning protrusion 126. The first positioning hole 115 and the auxiliary hole 116 are located on the side surface 113 of the base 110, and the auxiliary hole 116 is U-shaped and surrounds the first positioning hole 115. The second positioning hole 117 is located on the bottom surface 112 of the base 110. The first positioning protrusion 125 extends along the second direction d 2, and the second positioning protrusion 126 extends along the plugging direction d 3. The first positioning protrusion 125 and the second positioning protrusion 126 are located on the second member 1213 of the first housing 121, and correspond to the first positioning hole 115 and the second positioning hole 117, respectively.When the heat dissipation connection structure 120 is connected to the base 110, the first positioning protrusion 125 is located inside the first positioning hole 115 and the second positioning protrusion 126 is located inside the second positioning hole 117, whereby the heat dissipation connection structure 120 can be more stably connected to the base 110. When the heat dissipation connection structure 120 is removed from the base 110, the portion of the side surface 113 of the base 110 where the first positioning hole 115 is located may undergo slight deformation through the auxiliary opening 116, whereby the first positioning protrusion 125 may leave the first positioning hole 115 and the heat dissipation connection structure 120 may smoothly move away from the base 110.In summary, the heat dissipation connection structure of the interface connection structure of the disclosure is used to hold the interface device with the connection portion of the interface device exposed outside the heat dissipation connection structure. The base of the interface connection structure is set on the circuit board, and the heat dissipation connection structure can be inserted into the base, so that the connection portion of the interface device can be directly and stably connected to the connector of the circuit board.List of reference charactersA 1 heat dissipation region A 2 connection region B 1 first portion B 2 second portion B 3 operation opening D distance d 1 first direction d 2 second direction d 3 plugging direction E 1, E 2, E 3, E 4 end N 1 first position N 2 second position OP 1 first through hole OP 2 second through hole P 1 accommodation space P 2 accommodation subspace R hinge S 1 inner side surface W 1, W 2, W 3, W 4, W 5, W 6, W 7 width 100 interface connection structure 110 base 111 connector opening 112 bottom surface 113 side surface 114 guide rib 115 first positioning hole 116 auxiliary opening 117 second positioning hole 120 heat dissipation connection structure 121 first housing 1211 connection opening 1212 first member 1213 second member 1214 positioning member 1215 guide post 122 second housing 1221 third member 1222 fourth member 1223 first slide groove 1224 second slide groove 1225 auxiliary slide groove 1226 opening 1227 restricting member 1228 recess 1229 protrusion 123 locking member 1231 head 1232 neck 124 connection member 125 first position protrusion 126 second positioning protrusion 130 cooling device 200 circuit board 210 connector 211 slot 220 surface 300 interface device 310 connection portion

Claims

An interface connection structure (100) adapted to a circuit board (200), the circuit board (200) having at least one connector (210), each of the at least one connector (210) having a slot (211), the slot (211) extending along a mating direction (d3), and the mating direction (d3) being perpendicular to the circuit board (200), the interface connection structure (100) comprising: a base (110) disposed on the circuit board (200), the base (110) having at least one connector opening (111), the at least one connector (210) being located within the at least one connector opening (111); and a heat dissipation connection structure (120) detachably connected to the base (110) along the fitting direction (d3), the heat dissipation connection structure (120) comprising a first housing (121) and a second housing (122), the second housing (122) being movably connected to the first housing (121) and enclosing a receiving space (P1) with the first housing (121), the first housing (121) having at least one connector opening (1211), the receiving space (P1) being adapted to be arranged with at least one interface device (300), and each of the at least one interface device (300) having a connection portion (310); when the at least one interface device (300) is disposed in the accommodation space (P 1), the connection portion (310) is exposed from the at least one connection opening (1211), the heat dissipation connection structure (120) is adapted to be connected to the base (110) along the insertion direction (d 3), thereby inserting the connection portion (310) into the slot (211).The interface connection structure (100) according to claim 1, wherein the first housing (121) comprises a first member (1212) and a second member (1213) connected to each other, the second housing (122) is movably connected to the first member (1212), the at least one connection opening (1211) is disposed on the second member (1213) when the heat dissipation connection structure (120) is connected to the base (110), the second member (1213) is disposed inside the base (110).The interface connection structure (100) of claim 1, wherein the second housing (122) comprises a third member (1221) and a fourth member (1222), the third member (1222) is rotatably connected to the first housing (121), the fourth member (1222) is slidably connected to the third member (1221) when the heat dissipation connection structure (120) is connected to the base (110), the fourth member (1222) is disposed within the base (110).The interface connection structure (100) according to claim 3, wherein the heat dissipation connection structure (120) further comprises a locking member (123), the third member (122) comprises a first sliding groove (1223), the fourth member (1222) comprises a second sliding groove (1224), the locking member (123) is disposed in the first housing (121) and has a head (1231) and a neck (1232) connected to each other, a width (W4) of the head (1231) is larger than a width (W5) of the neck (1232) when the second housing (122) is closed on the first housing (121), the neck (1232) passes through the first sliding groove (1223) and the second sliding groove (1224).The interface connection structure (100) according to claim 4, wherein when the fourth member (1222) is in a first position (N1), the first sliding groove (1223) and the second sliding groove (1224) form a first through hole (OP1), a width (W6) of the first through hole (OP1) is greater than or equal to the width (W4) of the head (1231), when the fourth member (1222) is in a second position (N2), the first sliding groove (1223) and the second sliding groove (1224) form a second through hole (OP2), a width (W7) of the second through hole (OP2) is less than the width (W4) of the head (1231) and greater than or equal to the width (W5) of the neck (1232).The interface connection structure (100) according to claim 1, wherein the heat dissipation connection structure (120) includes a heat dissipation region (A1) and a connection region (A2) when the at least one interface device (300) is disposed in the heat dissipation connection structure (120), a portion of the at least one interface device (300) is located in the heat dissipation region (A1) and is thermally coupled to the heat dissipation connection structure (120) when the heat dissipation connection structure (120) is connected to the base (110), the connection region (A2) is located inside the base (110), the heat dissipation region (A1) is exposed.The interface connection structure (100) according to claim 6, wherein a portion of the first housing (121) and the second housing (122) is located in the heat dissipation region (A1), another portion of the first housing (121) and the second housing (122) is located in the connection region (A2), the at least one connection opening (1211) is located in the connection region (A2).The interface connection structure (100) according to claim 1, further comprising a cooling device (130), wherein the cooling device (130) is disposed on the heat dissipation connection structure (120), wherein the cooling device (130) is thermally coupled to the at least one interface device (300) when the at least one interface device (300) is disposed in the heat dissipation connection structure (120).The interface interconnect structure (100) of claim 1, wherein the at least one connector (210) of the circuit board (200) is an M.2 connector and the at least one interface device (300) is an M.2 interface card.The interface connection structure (100) according to claim 1, wherein the base (110) comprises a plurality of guide ribs (114) extending along the mating direction (d3), the guide ribs (114) contacting the heat dissipation connection structure (120) when the heat dissipation connection structure (120) is connected to the base (110).

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