Slide rail locking device

Abstract

A slide rail locking device is disposed on a slide rail, the slide rail including an outer rail and an inner rail. The slide rail locking device includes a base unit and a locking unit. The base unit includes an outer frame fixed to the outer rail, a base suitable for fixing the inner rail, and an inner support fixed to the base. The outer frame has an outer connecting portion fixed to the outer rail and a locking portion extending from the outer connecting portion away from the outer rail. The locking portion has an upper plate section and multiple locking sections. The locking unit includes a locking member pivotally mounted on the base and a driving member connected to the locking member and movably accommodated in a movable slot. The locking member has a locking portion that can lock into one of the locking sections. The driving member can drive the locking member to pivot, thereby releasing the locking portion from the locking relationship with the locking section.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] This invention relates to a locking device, and more particularly to a slide rail locking device. [Previous Technology]

[0002] An existing slide rail locking device is disposed between the inner and outer rails of a slide rail to prevent the inner rail from sliding out relative to the outer rail. The slide rail is disposed in a server rack, the outer rail is disposed in the server rack, and the inner rail is connected to a server. The slide rail locking device includes an outer connecting frame fixed to the outer rail and a locking member pivotally disposed on the inner rail and capable of locking onto the outer connecting frame. When the locking member is locked onto the outer connecting frame, it can prevent the inner rail from sliding out relative to the outer rail. When the locking relationship between the locking member and the outer connecting frame is released, the inner rail can move relative to the outer rail, thus enabling the server to be removed from the server rack for maintenance. However, in the existing slide rail locking device, after the locking relationship between the locking member and the outer connecting frame is released, the inner rail can be pulled out along with the server, but if the server remains in a movable state, maintenance of the server becomes more difficult and inconvenient, therefore there is room for improvement. [Summary of the Invention]

[0003] Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide a slide rail locking device that can solve at least one of the above-mentioned problems.

[0004] Therefore, the slide rail locking device of the present invention is suitable for installation on a slide rail, the slide rail including an outer rail and an inner rail movable relative to the outer rail, the slide rail locking device including a base unit including an outer frame for fixing the outer rail, a base for fixing the inner rail and an inner support fixed to the base, the outer frame having an outer connecting portion for fixing the outer rail and a locking portion extending from the outer connecting portion away from the outer rail, the locking portion having an upper plate segment connected to the outer connecting portion and a plurality of components extending downward from the upper plate segment and The inner support and the base define a movable groove, which is spaced apart from the outer connecting portion and the engaging sections are spaced apart from each other; and a locking unit, which includes a locking member pivotally mounted on the base and a driving member connected to the locking member and movably accommodated in the movable groove. The locking member has a locking portion that can lock onto one of the engaging sections. The driving member can be driven to move within the movable groove to drive the locking member to pivot and release the locking portion from the engaging portion, so that the inner rail, the base and the inner support can move relative to the outer rail.

[0005] In some embodiments, the latching member further includes a pivot portion pivotally mounted on the base and connected to the latching portion, and a linkage portion connecting the pivot portion and the driving member.

[0006] In some embodiments, the drive member has an operating part and a drive part connected to the operating part. The drive part has a bottom wall connected to the operating part, a side wall connected to the bottom wall extending away from the operating part, and a top wall connected to the side wall and the bottom wall spaced apart. The drive part defines an engagement groove for receiving the linkage part.

[0007] In some embodiments, the linkage part forms an elongated linkage groove, and the sidewall forms a linkage protrusion that is movably accommodated in the linkage groove.

[0008] In some embodiments, the base has a base plate portion for pivoting the latching member, a guide portion connecting the side of the base plate portion away from the outer rail, and an inner engaging portion connecting the side of the base plate portion adjacent to the outer rail. The base plate portion forms an opening through which the latching member passes to engage with the engaging portion. The guide portion and the inner support together define the movable groove. The inner engaging portion is suitable for fixing the inner rail.

[0009] In some embodiments, the inner support has a cover portion joined to the base plate portion and a movable portion connected to the cover portion. The cover portion forms a receiving groove for accommodating the latching member. The movable portion includes a base wall and a surrounding wall extending from the base wall toward the guide portion. The surrounding wall forms a communication port communicating with the receiving groove for the linkage portion to pass through. The base wall, the surrounding wall and the guide portion form the movable groove with the opening facing downward.

[0010] In some embodiments, the guide portion forms a vertically extending guide groove on the surface of the drive member, and the top wall forms a vertically extending guide block corresponding to the guide groove.

[0011] In some embodiments, the engaging portion further includes a lower plate segment connected to the outer connecting portion and located at a distance below the upper plate segment. The upper plate segment, the engaging portion, and the lower plate segment define a slot. The slot has a first groove defined by the engaging portion and the lower plate segment and a second groove defined by the upper plate segment and the lower plate segment. The first groove communicates with the second groove, and the width of the first groove is smaller than the width of the second groove. The second groove is used to accommodate the locking portion. After the locking portion releases its engagement relationship with the engaging portion, when the inner rail, the base, and the inner support move relative to the outer rail, the locking portion can separate from the outer frame through the first groove.

[0012] In some embodiments, the locking unit further includes an elastic element, which is a spring, and a top groove is formed on the upper surface of the top wall for receiving the elastic element, with one end of the elastic element abutting against the enclosure wall.

[0013] The present invention has at least the following effects: by means of the latching part of the latching member being latched to one of the latching sections, the inner rail can be pulled out only a distance and can also be positioned relative to the outer frame, which facilitates the user to perform maintenance on a server installed on the inner rail.

Implementation Method

[0014] Before the present invention is described in detail, it should be noted that similar elements are represented by the same numbers in the following description.

[0015] Referring to Figures 1 and 2, one embodiment of the slide rail locking device 10 of the present invention is suitable for installation on a slide rail 100, which is installed in a server rack (not shown) and includes an outer rail 101, a middle rail 102 movably installed on the outer rail 101, and an inner rail 103 movably installed on the middle rail 102. The outer rail 101 is fixed to the server rack (not shown), and the inner rail 103 is fixed to a server (not shown). The slide rail locking device 10 includes a base unit 1 and a locking unit 2.

[0016] Referring to Figures 2 to 4, the base unit 1 includes an outer frame 11 for fixing the outer rail 101, a base 12 for fixing the inner rail 103, and an inner support 13 fixed to the base 12. The outer frame 11 has an outer connecting portion 111 for fixing the outer rail 101 and a locking portion 112 extending from the outer connecting portion 111 away from the outer rail 101. The locking portion 112 has an upper plate segment 112a connected to the outer connecting portion 111, a plurality of locking segments extending downward from the upper plate segment 112a and spaced apart from the outer connecting portion 111, and a lower plate segment 112c connected to the outer connecting portion 111 and located spaced below the upper plate segment 112a. In this embodiment, the engagement segments are spaced apart from each other. Specifically, it includes a first engagement segment 112b extending downward from the upper plate segment 112a and spaced from the outer connecting portion 111, and a second engagement segment 112d extending downward from the upper plate segment 112a and spaced from the first engagement segment 112b. However, this is not a limitation. In other embodiments, the number of engagement segments can be increased to three or four as needed, as long as there are multiple segments. The upper plate segment 112a, the first engaging segment 112b, and the lower plate segment 112c define a slot 113. The slot 113 has a first groove 113a defined by the first engaging segment 112b and the lower plate segment 112c, and a second groove 113b defined by the upper plate segment 112a and the lower plate segment 112c. The first groove 113a communicates with the second groove 113b, and the width of the first groove 113a is smaller than the width of the second groove 113b.

[0017] The base 12 has a base plate portion 121 for pivotally connecting to the locking unit 2, a guide portion 122 connecting the side of the base plate portion 121 away from the outer rail 101, and an inner engaging portion 123 connecting the side of the base plate portion 121 adjacent to the outer rail 101. The base plate portion 121 forms an opening 121a. The guide portion 122 forms a vertically extending guide groove 122a on the surface facing the inner support 13. The inner engaging portion 123 is suitable for fixing the inner rail 103.

[0018] Referring to Figure 5, the inner support 13 has a cover portion 131 that engages with the base plate portion 121 and a movable portion 132 that connects to the cover portion 131. The cover portion 131 is engaged with the base plate portion 121 by three fasteners 14, but is not limited thereto. The cover portion 131 forms a receiving groove 131a. The movable portion 132 includes a base wall 132a and a surrounding wall 132b extending from the base wall 132a toward the guide portion 122. The surrounding wall 132b forms a communication opening 132c that communicates with the receiving groove 131a. The base wall 132a, the surrounding wall 132b, and the guide portion 122 form a downward-opening movable groove 132d.

[0019] The latching unit 2 includes a latching member 21 pivotally mounted on the base plate portion 121 of the base 12, a driving member 22 connected to the latching member 21 and movably accommodated in the movable groove 132d, and an elastic member 23 disposed between the inner support 13 and the driving member 22. The elastic member 23 is a spring with one end abutting against the enclosure wall 132b and the other end abutting against the driving member 22. The latching member 21 can be accommodated in the accommodating groove 131a and has a latching portion 211 that can pass through the opening 121a to latch onto the first engaging section 112b of the engaging portion 112 and movably accommodated in the second groove portion 113b, a pivot portion 212 pivotally mounted on the base 12 and connected to the latching portion 211, and a connecting portion 213 connected to the pivot portion 212 and connected to the driving member 22 through the communication port 132c. The linkage 213 forms an elongated linkage groove 213a. The pivoting part 212 is pivotally mounted to the base plate part 121 via a pivot member 24.

[0020] The drive member 22 is generally square columnar in shape and has an operating part 221 and a drive part 222 connected to the operating part 221. The operating part 221 forms an operating surface 221a that protrudes downward in a spherical shape. The drive part 222 has a bottom wall 222a connected to the operating part 221, a side wall 222b connecting the bottom wall 222a and extending away from the operating part 221, and a top wall 222c connecting the side wall 222b and the bottom wall 222a, which are spaced apart. The drive part 222 defines a mating groove 223 for receiving the linkage part 213. The side wall 222b forms a linkage protrusion 222d that is movably received in the linkage groove 213a. The top wall 222c has a guide block 222c1 that extends vertically and is correspondingly accommodated in the guide groove 122a on the surface of the base 122c. The upper surface of the top wall 222c has a top groove 222c2 for accommodating the elastic member 23.

[0021] Referring to Figures 1, 6 to 9, the operation flow of the slide rail locking device 10 of the present invention is briefly described below: When the driving member 22 is not operated and contacted, the locking part 211 of the locking member 21 is locked in the first locking section 112b of the locking part 112 to prevent the inner rail 103 from sliding out relative to the outer rail 101, as shown in Figure 6. Next, when an external object (not shown) moves along the length of the slide rail 100 toward the drive member 22 and abuts against the operating surface 221a, because the operating surface 221a protrudes downward in a spherical shape, the external object can abut against the drive member 22 during movement, so that the drive member 22 can be driven to move upward in the movable groove 132d. By the linkage protrusion 222d of the drive part 222 moving in the linkage groove 213a, the linkage part 213 of the locking member 21 can be driven to move upward, thereby driving the locking member 21 to pivot counterclockwise, so that the locking part 211 moves downward in the second groove 113b to release the locking relationship with the engaging part 112, as shown in Figures 7 and 8. After the latching part 211 releases its latching relationship with the first engaging section 112b of the engaging part 112, the inner rail 103, the base 12, and the inner support 13 can move relative to the outer rail 101. When the inner rail 103, the base 12, and the inner support 13 move relative to the outer rail 101, the latching part 211 can separate from the outer frame 11 through the first groove 113a, thereby allowing the server (not shown) fixed to the inner rail 103 to be removed from the server rack (not shown) for maintenance. If the user does not wish to remove the server fixed to the inner rail 103... Completely removing the device involves moving the locking part 211 to the interval between the first engaging section 112b and the second engaging section 112d. The elastic restoring force of the elastic member 23 will push the drive member 22 downward, causing the locking member 21 to pivot clockwise. This engages the locking part 211 in the second engaging section 112d, allowing the inner rail 103 and the server to be pulled out only a short distance. Simultaneously, it ensures that the base 12, the inner support 13, the locking member 21, the inner rail 103, and the server remain positioned relative to the outer frame 11, facilitating server maintenance. In other embodiments, if there are more engaging sections, such as a third or fourth, the user can determine which engaging section the locking part 211 should engage in based on the desired pulling distance, providing considerable flexibility in use.

[0022] It should be noted that the design of the drive member 22 moving the linkage part 213 of the latching member 21 upward by means of the linkage protrusion 222d of the drive part 222 moving in the linkage groove 213a can improve the fit tolerance between the latching member 21 and the drive member 22. Even if the dimensions of the mass-produced latching member 21 are inconsistent, the drive member 22 can still drive the linkage part 213 upward by means of the design of the elongated linkage groove 213a and the linkage protrusion 222d, so that the latching member 21 can pivot.

[0023] In summary, the slide rail locking device 10 of the present invention can be locked to one of the locking sections by the locking part 211 of the locking member 21. The inner rail 103 can be pulled out only a distance and can also be positioned relative to the outer frame 11, which makes it convenient for the user to maintain a server installed on the inner rail 103. Therefore, the purpose of the present invention can be achieved.

[0024] However, the above description is only an embodiment of the present invention and should not be construed as limiting the scope of the present invention. Any simple equivalent changes and modifications made in accordance with the scope of the patent application and the contents of the patent specification shall still fall within the scope of the patent of the present invention. [Simplified Explanation of the Diagram]

[0025] Other features and effects of the present invention will be clearly presented in the embodiments with reference to the drawings, wherein: FIG1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the slide rail locking device of the present invention disposed on a slide rail; FIG2 is an exploded perspective view of the embodiment and the slide rail; FIG3 is an exploded perspective view of the embodiment; FIG4 is an exploded perspective view of the embodiment from another perspective; FIG5 is a rear view of an inner support of a base unit of the embodiment; FIG6 is a rear view of the embodiment illustrating that a locking part of a locking member of a locking unit is locked to a first engaging section of an engaging part of an outer frame; FIG7 and FIG8 are rear views of the embodiment illustrating the process of the locking part of the locking member being driven by a driving member to pivot downward to release the locking relationship with the engaging section of the engaging part; and FIG9 is a rear view of the embodiment illustrating that the locking part of the locking member is locked to a second engaging section of the engaging part.

Claims

1. A slide rail locking device, suitable for mounting on a slide rail, the slide rail including an outer rail and an inner rail movable relative to the outer rail, the slide rail locking device comprising: A base unit includes an outer frame for fixing the outer rail, a base for fixing the inner rail, and an inner support fixed to the base. The outer frame has an outer connecting portion for fixing the outer rail and a locking portion extending from the outer connecting portion away from the outer rail. The locking portion has an upper plate segment connected to the outer connecting portion and a plurality of locking segments extending downward from the upper plate segment and spaced apart from the outer connecting portion. The locking segments are spaced apart from each other. The inner support and the base together define a movable groove. A locking unit includes a locking member pivotally mounted on the base and a driving member connected to the locking member and movably accommodated in the movable groove. The locking member has a locking portion that can lock onto one of the locking segments. The driving member can be driven to move within the movable groove to drive the locking member to pivot and release the locking portion from the locking portion, so that the inner rail, the base, and the inner support can move relative to the outer rail.

2. The slide rail locking device as described in claim 1, wherein, The latching component also includes a pivot portion pivotally mounted on the base and connected to the latching part, and a linkage portion connecting the pivot portion and the driving member.

3. The slide rail locking device as described in claim 2, wherein, The drive unit has an operating part and a drive part connected to the operating part. The drive part has a bottom wall connected to the operating part, a side wall connected to the bottom wall extending away from the operating part, and a top wall connected to the side wall and the bottom wall spaced apart. The drive part defines an engagement groove for receiving the linkage part.

4. The slide rail locking device as described in claim 3, wherein, The linkage part forms an elongated linkage groove, and the side wall forms a linkage protrusion that is movably accommodated in the linkage groove.

5. The slide rail locking device as described in claim 3, wherein, The base has a base plate portion for pivoting the latching member, a guide portion connecting the side of the base plate portion away from the outer rail, and an inner engaging portion connecting the side of the base plate portion adjacent to the outer rail. The base plate portion forms an opening through which the latching member passes to engage with the engaging portion. The guide portion and the inner support together define the movable groove. The inner engaging portion is suitable for fixing the inner rail.

6. The slide rail locking device as described in claim 5, wherein, The inner support has a cover portion that is joined to the base plate portion and a movable portion that connects to the cover portion. The cover portion forms a receiving groove for accommodating the latching member. The movable portion includes a base wall and a surrounding wall that extends from the base wall toward the guide portion. The surrounding wall forms a communication port that connects to the receiving groove for the linkage portion to pass through. The base wall, the surrounding wall, and the guide portion form the movable groove with the opening facing downward.

7. The slide rail locking device as described in claim 6, wherein, The guide portion forms a vertically extending guide groove on the surface of the drive member, and the top wall forms a vertically extending guide block that is accommodated in the guide groove.

8. The slide rail locking device as claimed in claim 1, wherein, The engaging portion also has a lower plate segment that connects to the outer connecting portion and is located at a distance below the upper plate segment. The upper plate segment, the engaging portion, and the lower plate segment define a slot. The slot has a first groove defined by the engaging portion and the lower plate segment and a second groove defined by the upper plate segment and the lower plate segment. The first groove connects to the second groove, and the width of the first groove is smaller than the width of the second groove. The second groove is used to accommodate the locking portion. After the locking portion releases its engagement relationship with the engaging portion, when the inner rail, the base, and the inner support move relative to the outer rail, the locking portion can separate from the outer frame through the first groove.

9. The slide rail locking device as described in claim 6, wherein, The locking unit also includes an elastic element, which is a spring. A top groove is formed on the upper surface of the top wall for receiving the elastic element, and one end of the elastic element abuts against the enclosure wall.

Images