Bracket module and electronic equipment

Abstract

A bracket module is adapted to install in a rack. The bracket module is used for supporting a chassis and includes a casing and an adjustable inner rail assembly. The casing is extended along a first direction and includes an internal space, a bottom wall located below the internal space and a side opening communicated with the internal space. The adjustable inner rail assembly is extended along the first direction and adjustably disposed on the casing along a second direction to change a width of a supporting surface of the bottom wall which is exposed by the adjustable inner rail assembly. At least part of the adjustable inner rail assembly is disposed inside the internal space and covers at least part of the side opening. The supporting surface is adapted to support the chassis. The second direction is perpendicular to the first direction. An electronic equipment is also provided.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a bracket module and an electronic device, and more particularly to a bracket module whose inner rail position can be conveniently adjusted by the user to support chassis of different widths, and an electronic device having the above-mentioned bracket module. [Previous Technology]

[0002] Currently, servers on the market come in various widths. To allow servers of different widths to be installed in standard racks, different adapter brackets are required. However, when replacing a server with a different width, the user must also replace the corresponding adapter bracket, causing inconvenience. Furthermore, placing servers of different widths on adapter brackets with a larger width may cause the servers to tilt and become unstable. Therefore, how to allow users to easily adjust adapter brackets to stably support racks of different widths is a problem that this field is dedicated to exploring. [Summary of the Invention]

[0003] The present invention provides a bracket module whose inner rail position can be conveniently adjusted by the user to stably support chassis of different widths.

[0004] The present invention provides an electronic device, which includes the above-described bracket module.

[0005] The bracket module of the present invention is suitable for installation in a cabinet. The bracket module is used to support a chassis. The bracket module includes a housing and an adjustable inner rail assembly. The housing extends along a first direction and includes an internal space, a bottom wall located below the internal space, and a lateral opening communicating with the internal space. The adjustable inner rail assembly extends along the first direction and is adjustablely disposed on the housing along a second direction to change the width of a bearing surface exposed by the adjustable inner rail assembly on the bottom wall. The adjustable inner rail assembly is at least partially disposed in the internal space and covers at least partially the lateral opening. The bearing surface is adapted to support the chassis, and the second direction is perpendicular to the first direction.

[0006] The electronic device of the present invention includes a cabinet and two of the above-mentioned bracket modules, the two bracket modules being symmetrically arranged in the cabinet and used to support a chassis.

[0007] In one embodiment of the present invention, the adjustable inner rail assembly includes a rail member and a fixing member disposed in the internal space and located on one side of the rail member. The rail member covers at least a partial lateral opening. One of the outer shell and the fixing member includes a first fixing part, and the other includes a plurality of second fixing parts. The first fixing part can be selectively fixed to one of these second fixing parts to change the width of the bearing surface.

[0008] In one embodiment of the present invention, the outer shell includes a first fixing part located in the internal space, and the fixing member includes these second fixing parts, which are at different distances from the track member in a second direction.

[0009] In one embodiment of the present invention, the aforementioned second fixing portions are recessed along a second direction from an edge of the fixing member away from the track member, so that the second fixing portions have different depths and different distances from the track member.

[0010] In one embodiment of the present invention, the outer casing further includes a top wall relative to the bottom wall and a side wall connecting the top wall and the bottom wall. The top wall, the bottom wall and the side wall form an internal space. Each of the above-mentioned second fixing parts has a guide groove near the edge, a fixing hole away from the edge and a necking groove located between the guide groove and the fixing hole. The first fixing part is an elastic locking fastener, which enters the fixing hole from the guide groove and the necking groove and abuts against the wall surface next to the fixing hole.

[0011] In one embodiment of the present invention, one of the above-mentioned track member and fixing member includes a plurality of first positioning portions arranged along a first direction, and the other includes a second positioning portion. These first positioning portions correspond to these second fixing portions respectively. The second positioning portion can be selectively disposed on one of these first positioning portions so that the fixing member can be adjustedly disposed on the track member along the first direction.

[0012] In one embodiment of the present invention, one of the above-mentioned track member and fixing member includes a groove extending along a first direction, and the other includes a slider extending into the groove.

[0013] In one embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned fastener and track are integrated.

[0014] In one embodiment of the present invention, the adjustable inner rail assembly further includes a rail side located above the bearing surface and away from the internal space. The rail side includes two protrusions extending along a first direction and a groove located between the two protrusions. One of the two protrusions is close to the bearing surface and the other is away from the bearing surface.

[0015] Based on the above, the bracket module of the electronic device of the present invention includes a housing and an adjustable inner rail assembly. The user can adjust the width of the support surface of the bracket module by adjusting the position of the adjustable inner rail assembly on the housing. When the user replaces a chassis with a different width, the user only needs to adjust the position of the adjustable inner rail assembly to allow the bracket module to support the chassis of the corresponding width. Therefore, the bracket module of the electronic device of the present invention can be conveniently adjusted by the user to stably support chassis of different widths.

Implementation Method

[0016] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG2 is a schematic diagram of the electronic device with a chassis disposed in FIG1. ​​FIG3 is a front view of the chassis and a portion of the electronic device in FIG2. Referring to FIG1 to FIG3, the electronic device 100 of this embodiment includes a cabinet 110 and two support modules 120, which are symmetrically disposed in the cabinet 110 and are used to support the chassis 10. In this embodiment, the chassis 10 is, for example, a server, and the width dimension of the chassis 10 can be, for example, 437 mm, 438 mm, 447 mm or 448 mm, but the width dimension of the chassis 10 is not limited to the above.

[0017] Figure 4A is a schematic diagram of the bracket module of Figure 3. Figure 4B shows the adjustable inner rail assembly of Figure 4A being removed from the housing. Figure 4C shows the movement of the fixing member relative to the rail member and the movement of the adjustable inner rail assembly relative to the housing in Figure 4A. To clearly illustrate the internal structure of the bracket module 120, the housing 121 of Figures 4A to 4C is shown in perspective. Referring to Figures 4A to 4C, in detail, each bracket module 120 includes a housing 121 and an adjustable inner rail assembly 123. The housing 121 extends along a first direction D1 and includes an internal space 1211, a bottom wall 1213 located below the internal space 1211, and a lateral opening 1215 communicating with the internal space 1211. An adjustable inner rail assembly 123 extends along a first direction D1 and is adjustablely disposed on the housing 121 along a second direction D2 perpendicular to the first direction D1 to change the width W of a bearing surface 1213a exposed by the adjustable inner rail assembly 123 on the bottom wall 1213. The adjustable inner rail assembly 123 is at least partially disposed in the interior space 1211 and covers at least partially the lateral opening 1215, the bearing surface 1213a being adapted to support the chassis 10.

[0018] It is worth mentioning that the bracket module 120 of the electronic device 100 in this embodiment includes a housing 121 and an adjustable inner rail assembly 123. The user can adjust the width W of the bearing surface 1213a of the bracket module 120 by adjusting the position of the adjustable inner rail assembly 123 on the housing 121. When the user replaces the chassis 10 with a different width, the user only needs to adjust the position of the adjustable inner rail assembly 123 to allow the bracket module 120 to support the chassis 10 of the corresponding width. Accordingly, the bracket module 120 of the electronic device 100 in this embodiment can be conveniently adjusted by the user to stably support chassis 10 of different widths.

[0019] The structure of the bracket module 120 in this embodiment is described in detail below.

[0020] Figure 5A is an exploded view of the bracket module of Figure 4A from another perspective. Figure 5B is a schematic diagram of the fastener of Figure 5A from another perspective. Figures 6A and 6B are enlarged partial views of the bracket modules of Figures 4A and 4C, respectively. Referring to Figures 5A to 6B, the housing 121 of this embodiment also includes a top wall 1219 relative to the bottom wall 1213 and a side wall 1218 connecting the top wall 1219 and the bottom wall 1213. The top wall 1219, the bottom wall 1213, and the side wall 1218 form an internal space 1211. The adjustable inner rail assembly 123 includes a rail member 1231 and two fasteners 1233 (shown as two) disposed in the internal space 1211 and located on one side of the rail member 1231. As shown in Figure 4A, the rail member 1231 covers at least a partial lateral opening 1215. As shown in FIG. 5A, the bottom wall 1213 and top wall 1219 of the outer casing 121 each include two first fixing portions 1217 located in the internal space 1211. Each fixing member 1233 includes a plurality of second fixing portions 1233a corresponding to the first fixing portions 1217 of the bottom wall 1213 and the top wall 1219. As shown in FIG. 6A and FIG. 6B, the first fixing portion 1217 can be selectively fixed to one of the corresponding second fixing portions 1233a to change the width W of the bearing surface 1213a.

[0021] In detail, referring to Figures 6A and 6B, the second fixing portions 1233a of the fixing member 1233 are at different distances from the track member 1231 in the second direction D2. These second fixing portions 1233a are recessed along the second direction D2 from an edge 1233b of the fixing member 1233 away from the track member 1231, so that each of the second fixing portions 1233a has a different depth and a different distance from the track member 1231. Accordingly, the bracket module 120 of this embodiment can be fixed to one of these second fixing portions 1233a by the first fixing portion 1217, thereby changing the position of the track member 1231 relative to the outer casing 121, and thus changing the width W of the bearing surface 1213a, so that the bracket module 120 can support chassis 10 of different widths. For example, the width W of the bearing surface 1213a shown in Figure 6B is greater than the width W of the bearing surface 1213a shown in Figure 6A, so that the bracket module 120 shown in Figure 6B can support the wider chassis 10.

[0022] In this embodiment, when the first fixing part 1217 is fixed to the leftmost of the second fixing part 1233a as shown in FIG. 6A, the two bracket modules 120 are adapted to support a chassis 10 with a width dimension of 437 mm. When the first fixing part 1217 is fixed to the second left of the second fixing part 1233a as shown in FIG. 6A, the two bracket modules 120 are adapted to support a chassis 10 with a width dimension of 438 mm. When the first fixing part 1217 is fixed to the second right of the second fixing part 1233a as shown in FIG. 6A, the two bracket modules 120 are adapted to support a chassis 10 with a width dimension of 447 mm. When the first fixing part 1217 is fixed to the rightmost of the second fixing part 1233a as shown in FIG. 6B, the two bracket modules 120 are adapted to support a chassis 10 with a width dimension of 448 mm.

[0023] In each bracket module 120 of this embodiment, there are two fixing members 1233, four first fixing parts 1217, and four sets of second fixing parts 1233a. However, the present invention does not limit the number of fixing members 1233, first fixing parts 1217, and second fixing parts 1233a. In addition, in other embodiments, the adjustable inner rail assembly 123 may also have fixing members 1233 including first fixing parts and outer shell 121 including multiple second fixing parts. The present invention does not limit this.

[0024] The structure of the adjustable inner rail assembly 123 is described in detail below.

[0025] Referring to Figures 5A to 6B, the track member 1231 includes a plurality of first positioning portions 1231a arranged along the first direction D1, and the fixing member 1233 includes a second positioning portion 1233d (Figures 5A and 5B). The second positioning portion 1233d can be selectively disposed on one of these first positioning portions 1231a, so that the fixing member 1233 is adjustablely disposed on the track member 1231 along the first direction D1.

[0026] In this embodiment, the first positioning portions 1231a correspond to the second fixing portions 1233a respectively. Accordingly, when the second positioning portion 1233d is disposed on one of the first positioning portions 1231a as described above, the adjustable inner rail assembly 123 can be fixed to the first fixing portion 1217 by the corresponding second fixing portion 1233a. For example, when the second positioning portion 1233d is disposed on the rightmost of the first positioning portions 1231a as shown in FIG. 6A, the leftmost of the second fixing portions 1233a is fixed to the first fixing portion 1217. When the second positioning portion 1233d is disposed on the second right of the first positioning portions 1231a as shown in FIG. 6A, the second left of the second fixing portion 1233a is fixed to the first fixing portion 1217. When the second positioning part 1233d is disposed on the leftmost of the first positioning parts 1231a as shown in FIG. 6A, the rightmost of the second fixing parts 1233a is fixed to the first fixing part 1217. When the second positioning part 1233d is disposed on the leftmost of the first positioning parts 1231a as shown in FIG. 6B, the rightmost of the second fixing parts 1233a is fixed to the first fixing part 1217.

[0027] In this embodiment, the first positioning part 1231a is, for example, a through hole, and the second positioning part 1233d has, for example, a protruding post as shown in FIG. 5B. When the handle in the second positioning part 1233d as shown in FIG. 5A is actuated (for example, rotated 90 degrees), the protruding post shown in FIG. 5B can protrude further towards the track member 1231 and can pass through one of the first positioning parts 1231a (for example, the rightmost first positioning part 1231a shown in FIG. 6A) to achieve the positioning effect. However, the present invention does not limit the positioning method of the first positioning part 1231a and the second positioning part 1233d. In addition, in other embodiments, the adjustable inner rail assembly 123 may also include multiple first positioning parts, and the track member 1231 may include a second positioning part. The present invention does not limit this.

[0028] Figures 7A and 7B are schematic diagrams of the bracket module of Figures 6A and 6B from another perspective. Referring to Figures 5A, 7A and 7B, the fixing member 1233 includes a plurality of grooves 1233e extending along the first direction D1, and the track member 1231 includes a plurality of sliders 1231b extending into the grooves 1233e. The bracket module 120 can slide the fixing member 1233 relative to the track member 1231 by means of the arrangement of the sliders 1231b and the grooves 1233e, thereby allowing the user to easily adjust the position of the second positioning part 1233d and position it at one of these first positioning parts 1231a, so that the bracket module 120 can support chassis 10 of different widths.

[0029] In this embodiment, the number of slide grooves 1233e and sliders 1231b are three each, but the present invention does not limit the number of slide grooves 1233e and sliders 1231b. In addition, in other embodiments, the adjustable inner rail assembly 123 may also be a track member 1231 including a slide groove and a fixing member 1233 including a slider, and the present invention does not limit this.

[0030] The fixing method of the first fixing part 1217 and the second fixing part 1233a in this embodiment will be described in detail below.

[0031] Figure 8 is a cross-sectional view of the bracket module and a partial chassis of Figure 3. Referring to Figures 6A, 6B, and 8, each second fixing part 1233a, as shown in Figure 6A, has a guide groove 1233a1 near the edge 1233b, a fixing hole 1233a2 away from the edge 1233b, and a necking groove 1233a3 located between the guide groove 1233a1 and the fixing hole 1233a2. The first fixing part 1217 can be a spring lock.

[0032] In detail, during the process of fixing one of these second fixing parts 1233a to the first fixing part 1217, the elastic locking fastener enters the fixing hole 1233a2 from the guide groove 1233a1 and the necking groove 1233a3, and abuts against the wall surface 1233c next to the fixing hole 1233a2, thereby making the adjustable inner rail assembly 123 securely fixed to the outer shell 121.

[0033] In this embodiment, the elastic locking fastener has a spring (not shown). When one of the second fixing parts 1233a is fixed to the first fixing part 1217, the first fixing part 1217 can securely fix the fastener 1233 to the top wall 1219 or the bottom wall 1213 by means of the elastic force of the spring. Furthermore, when the user removes the adjustable inner rail assembly 123 to adjust the width W of the bearing surface 1213a, the user only needs to apply force to overcome the elastic force of the spring to quickly remove the adjustable inner rail assembly 123 from the outer casing 121.

[0034] Referring to Figures 4A and 8, the adjustable inner rail assembly 123 further includes a rail side 1235 located above the bearing surface 1213a and away from the internal space 1211. The rail side 1235 includes two protrusions 1235a extending along a first direction D1 and a groove 1235b located between the two protrusions 1235a. One of the two protrusions 1235a is close to the bearing surface 1213a, and the other is away from the bearing surface 1213a. Accordingly, the adjustable inner rail assembly 123 can prevent the chassis 10 from tilting by means of the protrusions 1235a. Furthermore, when the chassis 10 has a side rivet (T-PIN) (not shown) fixed to the ball slide rail, the groove 1235b of the bracket module 120 of this embodiment can give way to the side rivet of the chassis 10, so that the bracket module 120 of this embodiment can be widely used in chassis 10 with different slide rail types.

[0035] Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of a bracket module according to another embodiment of the present invention. Referring to Figure 9, the difference between the adjustable inner rail assembly 123a of this embodiment and the adjustable inner rail assembly 123 of the above embodiments is that the fixing member and the rail member of the adjustable inner rail assembly 123a of this embodiment are integrated, and it does not have the first positioning part 1231a, slider 1231b, second positioning part 1233d and slide groove 1233e of the above embodiments. Accordingly, the adjustable inner rail assembly 123a of this embodiment can reduce the overall cost. The remaining configuration and operation mode of the adjustable inner rail assembly 123a of this embodiment are the same as or similar to the adjustable inner rail assembly 123 of the embodiments shown in Figures 1 to 8, and will not be described again here.

[0036] In summary, the bracket module of the electronic device of the present invention includes a housing and an adjustable inner rail assembly. The user can adjust the width of the support surface of the bracket module by adjusting the position of the adjustable inner rail assembly on the housing. When the user replaces a chassis with a different width, the user only needs to adjust the position of the adjustable inner rail assembly to allow the bracket module to support the chassis of the corresponding width. Accordingly, the bracket module of the electronic device of the present invention can be easily adjusted by the user to stably support chassis of different widths. Furthermore, in one embodiment, the fixing member and the rail member of the adjustable inner rail assembly are integrated, thereby reducing the overall cost. [Simplified Explanation of the Diagram]

[0037] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG2 is a schematic diagram of the electronic device with a chassis disposed in FIG1. ​​FIG3 is a front view of the chassis and a portion of the electronic device in FIG2. FIG4A is a schematic diagram of the bracket module of FIG3. FIG4B shows the adjustable inner rail assembly of FIG4A being removed from the housing. FIG4C shows the movement of the fixing member relative to the rail member and the movement of the adjustable inner rail assembly relative to the housing in FIG4A. FIG5A is an exploded view of the bracket module of FIG4A from another perspective. FIG5B is a schematic diagram of the fixing member of FIG5A from another perspective. FIG6A and FIG6B are enlarged views of the bracket modules of FIG4A and FIG4C, respectively. FIG7A and FIG7B are schematic diagrams of the bracket modules of FIG6A and FIG6B from another perspective. FIG8 is a cross-sectional view of the bracket module and a portion of the chassis in FIG3. FIG9 is a schematic diagram of a bracket module according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Claims

1. A bracket module suitable for mounting in a server rack, the bracket module supporting a chassis, the bracket module comprising: An outer shell extending along a first direction, and including an interior space, a bottom wall located below the interior space, and a lateral opening communicating with the interior space; And an adjustable inner rail assembly extending along the first direction and adjustablely disposed in the housing along a second direction to change the width of a bearing surface exposed by the adjustable inner rail assembly on the bottom wall. The adjustable inner rail assembly is at least partially disposed in the interior space and covers at least partially of the lateral opening. The bearing surface is adapted to support the chassis, and the second direction is perpendicular to the first direction. The adjustable inner rail assembly includes a rail member and a fixing member disposed in the interior space and located on one side of the rail member. The rail member covers at least partially of the lateral opening. One of the housing and the fixing member includes a first fixing part, and the other includes a plurality of second fixing parts. The first fixing part can be selectively fixed to one of the second fixing parts to change the width of the bearing surface.

2. The bracket module as claimed in claim 1, wherein the housing includes the first fixing portion located in the interior space, the fixing member includes the second fixing portions, and the second fixing portions of the fixing member are at different distances from the track member in the second direction.

3. The bracket module as claimed in claim 2, wherein the second fixing portions are recessed from an edge of the fixing member away from the track member along the second direction, such that the second fixing portions have different depths and different distances from the track member.

4. The bracket module as claimed in claim 3, wherein the housing further includes a top wall relative to the bottom wall and a side wall connecting the top wall and the bottom wall, the top wall, the bottom wall and the side wall forming the internal space, each of the second fixing portions having a guide groove near the edge, a fixing hole away from the edge and a necking groove located between the guide groove and the fixing hole, the first fixing portion being an elastic locking fastener, the elastic locking fastener entering the fixing hole from the guide groove and the necking groove, and abutting against the wall surface next to the fixing hole.

5. The bracket module as claimed in claim 2, wherein one of the track member and the fixing member includes a plurality of first positioning portions arranged along the first direction, and the other includes a second positioning portion, the first positioning portions corresponding to the second fixing portions respectively, the second positioning portion being selectively disposed on one of the first positioning portions so that the fixing member is adjustablely disposed on the track member along the first direction.

6. The bracket module as claimed in claim 5, wherein one of the track member and the fixing member includes a groove extending along the first direction, and the other includes a slider extending into the groove.

7. The bracket module as claimed in claim 1, wherein the fixing member and the track member are integral.

8. The bracket module as claimed in claim 1, wherein the adjustable inner rail assembly further includes a rail side located above the bearing surface and away from the interior space, the rail side including two protrusions extending along the first direction and a groove located between the two protrusions, one of the two protrusions being close to the bearing surface and the other being away from the bearing surface.

9. An electronic device, comprising: One server rack; And two bracket modules as described in any one of claims 1 to 8, the two bracket modules being symmetrically arranged in the cabinet for supporting a chassis.

Images