Fixing frame and motherboard assembly
Patent Information
- Application Number
- TW114107683
- Authority / Receiving Office
- TW · TW
- Patent Type
- Applications
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2025-03-03
- Publication Date
- 2026-09-16
- Estimated Expiration
- 2045-03-02
AI Technical Summary
Expansion circuit boards in servers are prone to improper connection or detachment from the motherboard due to external forces during movement or testing, leading to instability.
A fixing bracket with a resilient limiting portion and a stop structure is used to secure the circuit board to the motherboard, ensuring stable insertion and connection even under external forces.
The fixing bracket effectively maintains the circuit board's proper insertion into the motherboard electrical connector, enhancing stability and preventing detachment under external forces.
Smart Images
Figure TWG2TA001075489_001 
Figure TWG2TA001075489_002 
Figure TWG2TA001075489_003
Abstract
Description
[Technical Field]
[0001] This invention relates to a fixed bracket and a motherboard assembly. [Previous Technology]
[0002] In current servers, to allow more circuitry or electronic components to be placed on the motherboard, expansion circuit boards are often vertically inserted into the motherboard, provided the server's height allows. However, during handling or testing, expansion circuit boards are easily shaken by external forces, causing them to become improperly connected to the motherboard's electrical connectors, or even detach from them. Therefore, researchers in this field are working to solve the aforementioned problems. [Summary of the Invention]
[0003] The present invention provides a fixing bracket and a motherboard assembly that can ensure that the vertical expansion circuit board can still be properly plugged into the electrical connector of the motherboard even when subjected to external force.
[0004] One embodiment of the present invention discloses a motherboard assembly for supporting a circuit board, comprising a motherboard and a mounting bracket. The motherboard includes a substrate and an electrical connector, the electrical connector being disposed on the substrate and used for inserting the circuit board. The mounting bracket includes at least one limiting bracket. The limiting bracket includes a base and a resilient limiting portion. The base is disposed on the substrate and located on one side of the electrical connector. The resilient limiting portion is movably erected on the base. The resilient limiting portion includes a stop structure for stopping the side of the circuit board away from the electrical connector. The resilient limiting portion further includes a limiting groove, the limiting groove being closer to and extending toward the base than the stop structure, the limiting groove being used to limit the circuit board.
[0005] Another embodiment of the present invention discloses a fixing bracket for fixing a circuit board to an electrical connector plugged into a motherboard. The fixing bracket includes at least one limiting frame. The limiting frame includes a base and a resilient limiting portion. The base is disposed on a substrate of the motherboard and located on one side of the electrical connector. The resilient limiting portion is movably erected on the base. The resilient limiting portion includes a stop structure for stopping the side of the circuit board away from the electrical connector. The resilient limiting portion further includes a limiting groove, which is closer to and extends toward the base than the stop structure, and is used to limit the circuit board.
[0006] According to the fixed bracket and motherboard assembly disclosed in the above embodiments, the base of the limiting bracket is disposed on the substrate and located on one side of the electrical connector. The elastic limiting part of the limiting bracket is movably erected on the base, and the stop structure of the elastic limiting part is used to stop the circuit board from being disposed on the side away from the electrical connector. The fixed bracket can be fixedly and vertically inserted into the circuit board of the motherboard to ensure that the vertical circuit board can still be properly inserted into the electrical connector of the motherboard even if it is subjected to external force.
[0007] The above description of the content of the present invention and the following description of the embodiments are used to demonstrate and explain the principles of the present invention, and to provide a further explanation of the scope of the patent application of the present invention.
Implementation Method
[0009] Please refer to Figure 1. Figure 1 is a perspective view of the motherboard assembly 1 and circuit board 2 disclosed in one embodiment of the present invention.
[0010] The motherboard assembly 1 is used to support a circuit board 2, wherein the circuit board 2 is, for example, but not limited to, a PCIe expansion card. The motherboard assembly 1 includes a motherboard 10 and a mounting bracket 20. The motherboard 10 includes a substrate 11 and an electrical connector 12, the electrical connector 12 being disposed on the substrate 11 and used for inserting the circuit board 2. The mounting bracket 20 includes at least one limiting bracket 21. The limiting bracket 21 includes a base 211 and a resilient limiting portion 212. The base 211 is disposed on the substrate 11 and located on one side of the electrical connector 12. The resilient limiting portion 212 is movably erected on the base 211. The resilient limiting portion 212 includes a stop structure 2121, and the stop structure 2121 is used to stop the side of the circuit board 2 away from the electrical connector 12.
[0011] Next, please refer to Figures 2 and 3. Figure 2 is an exploded view of the motherboard assembly 1 of Figure 1 from one perspective. Figure 3 is an exploded view of the motherboard assembly 1 of Figure 1 from another perspective.
[0012] In one embodiment, the limiting bracket 21 is, for example, a one-piece molded part, and is, for example, made of plastic. In one embodiment, there are two limiting brackets 21, with the base 211 of one of the two limiting brackets 21 located on opposite sides of the electrical connector 12. The two limiting brackets 21 have the same structure, so the following paragraphs will only describe the structure of one of the limiting brackets 21 in detail.
[0013] In one embodiment, the substrate 11 includes, for example, two first positioning structures 111 and two locking holes 112. The two first positioning structures 111 are, for example, positioning holes, and the two first positioning structures 111 are respectively located on opposite sides of the electrical connector 12. The two locking holes 112 are also respectively located on opposite sides of the electrical connector 12, and are respectively located next to the two first positioning structures 111.
[0014] In one embodiment, the base 211 of the limiting frame 21 includes, for example, a second positioning structure 2111 and a through hole 2112, wherein the second positioning structure 2111 is, for example, a positioning post. The second positioning structures 2111 of the bases 211 of the two limiting frames 21 are respectively matched with the two first positioning structures 111 of the substrate 11. The two through holes 2112 are respectively aligned with the two locking holes 112 of the substrate 11.
[0015] In one embodiment, the motherboard assembly 1 may further include two locking fasteners 30. The two locking fasteners 30 pass through two through holes 2112 and are locked to two locking holes 112, thereby fixing the two limiting brackets 21 to the substrate 11 of the motherboard 10.
[0016] In the above embodiments, the combination of the two first positioning structures 111 and the two second positioning structures 2111 can help the two limiting frames 21 be positioned on the substrate 11 of the main board 10 before the two locking fasteners 30 fix the two limiting frames 21 to the substrate 11 of the main board 10, so that the through holes 2112 of the base 211 of the two limiting frames 21 are respectively aligned with the two locking holes 112 of the substrate 11 of the main board 10.
[0017] It should be noted that the two first positioning structures 111 and the two second positioning structures 2111 are optional structures and can be omitted. Furthermore, the locking hole 112 of the substrate 11, the through hole 2112 of the base 211 of the two limiting frames 21 and the locking fastener 30 are optional structures and components and can be omitted. The two limiting frames 21 can be fixed to the substrate 11 of the main board 10 in other ways, such as by welding or bonding.
[0018] In one embodiment, the limiting frame 21 may further include a fixing part 213, which is connected to the base 211, and the elastic limiting part 212 is used to be detachably secured to the fixing part 213. In one embodiment, the elastic limiting part 212 includes an inclined section 2122, a vertical section 2123, and a horizontal section 2124 connected in sequence. The inclined section 2122 is connected to the base 211, the stop structure 2121 is located in the vertical section 2123, and the horizontal section 2124 is used to be detachably secured to the fixing part 213. In one embodiment, the horizontal section 2124 of the elastic limiting part 212 includes a locking structure E, and the fixing part 213 includes a slot S. The locking structure E is used to be detachably secured to the slot S of the fixing part 213.
[0019] Next, please refer to FIG4, which is a side view of the limiting frame 21 of FIG1. In one embodiment, the upright section 2123 of the elastic limiting portion 212 of the limiting frame 21 includes a limiting groove P. The limiting groove P is closer to and extends toward the base 211 of the limiting frame 21 than the stop structure 2121, and is used to limit the circuit board 2. In one embodiment, the limiting groove P includes at least one wide section P1 and one narrow section P2 connected together, wherein the width D1 of the wide section P1 is greater than the width D2 of the narrow section P2. In one embodiment, the limiting groove P has two wide sections P1, and the narrow section P2 is located between the two wide sections P1.
[0020] Next, the process of assembling the circuit board 2 into the motherboard assembly 1 will be described below. Figures 5 and 6 illustrate the process of assembling the circuit board 2 into the motherboard assembly 1.
[0021] First, as shown in Figure 5, the elastic limiting portion 212 of the two limiting frames 21 is placed in the released position. At this time, the two elastic limiting portions 212 elastically deform, and the locking structure E of the horizontal section 2124 of the two elastic limiting portions 212 is respectively locked into the slot S of the two fixing portions 213. Then, the circuit board 2 is vertically inserted into the electrical connector 12 of the main board 10.
[0022] Next, as shown in FIG6, the locking structures E of the horizontal segments 2124 of the two elastic limiting portions 212 are respectively released from the slots S of the two fixing portions 213, so that the two elastic limiting portions 212 spring back and move from the released position to the stop position. At this time, the stop structure 2121 of the two elastic limiting portions 212 stops the two opposite corners of the circuit board 2 away from the electrical connector 12. Thus, the assembly of the circuit board 2 onto the motherboard assembly 1 is completed.
[0023] In the above embodiment, the base 211 of at least one limiting bracket 21 is disposed on the substrate 11 and located on one side of the electrical connector 12. The elastic limiting part 212 of the limiting bracket 21 is movably erected on the base 211, and the stop structure 2121 of the elastic limiting part 212 is used to stop the circuit board 2 from the side away from the electrical connector 12. This allows the fixed bracket 20 to be fixedly and vertically inserted into the circuit board 2 of the motherboard 10, so as to ensure that the vertical circuit board 2 can still be properly inserted into the electrical connector 12 of the motherboard 10 even if it is subjected to external force.
[0024] In the above embodiment, by means of the bases 211 of the two limiting brackets 21 being located on opposite sides of the electrical connector 12, and the stop structures 2121 of the two elastic limiting parts 212 stopping the circuit board 2 on the side away from the electrical connector 12, the fixing bracket 20 can more stably fix the circuit board 2 that is vertically inserted into the main board 10.
[0025] It should be noted that the number of limit brackets 21 is not limited to two. If one limit bracket 21 is sufficient to stabilize the circuit board 2, the number of limit brackets 21 can be adjusted to one.
[0026] In the above embodiment, the circuit board 2 can be limited by the narrow section P2 of the limiting groove P of the two limiting frames 21 to prevent the circuit board 2 from shaking.
[0027] It should be noted that the limiting groove P of the second limiting frame 21 is an optional structure, and can be omitted in other embodiments.
[0028] When it is necessary to separate the circuit board 2 from the motherboard 10, the elastic limiting portion 212 of the two limiting brackets 21 is placed in the released position (as shown in Figure 5), so that the stop structure 2121 of the two elastic limiting portions 212 is separated from the side of the circuit board 2 away from the electrical connector 12. At this time, the circuit board 2 can be directly separated from the electrical connector 12 without being stopped by the stop structure 2121.
[0029] It should be noted that the fixing part 213 of the limiting frame 21 is an optional structure, and may be omitted in other embodiments. Correspondingly, the locking structure E of the elastic limiting part 212 of the limiting frame 21 may be omitted. Thus, when assembling or disassembling the circuit board 2, the elastic limiting part 212 of the limiting frame 21 must be held in the released position by hand.
[0030] Furthermore, the structure of the elastic limiting part 212 of the above-mentioned limiting frame 21 is only exemplary and can be adjusted according to needs.
[0031] According to the fixed bracket and motherboard assembly disclosed in the above embodiments, the base of the limiting bracket is disposed on the substrate and located on one side of the electrical connector. The elastic limiting part of the limiting bracket is movably erected on the base, and the stop structure of the elastic limiting part is used to stop the circuit board from being disposed on the side away from the electrical connector. The fixed bracket can be fixedly and vertically inserted into the circuit board of the motherboard to ensure that the vertical circuit board can still be properly inserted into the electrical connector of the motherboard even if it is subjected to external force.
[0032] In one embodiment of this disclosure, the fixed bracket and motherboard assembly disclosed herein can be disposed in a server. The server can be used for artificial intelligence (AI) computing, edge computing, or as a 5G server, cloud server, or vehicle networking server.
[0033] Although the present invention has been disclosed above with reference to the preferred embodiments described above, it is not intended to limit the present invention. Any person skilled in the art may make some modifications and refinements without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of patent protection of the present invention shall be determined by the scope of the patent application attached to this specification. [Simplified Explanation of the Diagram]
[0008] Figure 1 is a perspective view of the motherboard assembly and circuit board disclosed in one embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 is an exploded view of the motherboard assembly of Figure 1 from one perspective. Figure 3 is an exploded view of the motherboard assembly of Figure 1 from another perspective. Figure 4 is a side view of the retaining frame of Figure 1. Figures 5 and 6 illustrate the process of assembling the circuit board into the motherboard assembly.
Claims
1. A motherboard assembly for carrying a circuit board, comprising: a motherboard including a substrate and an electrical connector, the electrical connector being disposed on the substrate and for inserting the circuit board; and a fixing bracket including: at least one limiting bracket including: a base disposed on the substrate and located on one side of the electrical connector; an elastic limiting portion movably erected on the base, the elastic limiting portion including a stop structure for stopping the side of the circuit board away from the electrical connector; and a fixing portion connected to the base, the elastic limiting portion being detachably secured to the fixing portion; wherein the The elastic limiting portion further includes a limiting groove, which is closer to and extends toward the base than the stop structure, and the limiting groove is used to limit the circuit board; wherein the elastic limiting portion is movable between a stop position and a release position; when the elastic limiting portion is in the stop position, the elastic limiting portion is separated from the fixing portion, and the stop structure of the elastic limiting portion is used to stop the side of the circuit board away from the electrical connector; when the elastic limiting portion is in the release position, the elastic limiting portion is locked to the fixing portion, and the stop structure of the elastic limiting portion is separated from the side of the circuit board away from the electrical connector.
2. The motherboard assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the resilient limiting portion includes an inclined segment, a vertical segment and a horizontal segment connected in sequence, the inclined segment being connected to the base, the stop structure being located in the vertical segment, and the horizontal segment being used to be detachably secured to the fixing portion.
3. The motherboard assembly as claimed in claim 2, wherein the horizontal segment of the resilient limiting portion includes a locking structure, and the fixing portion includes a slot, the locking structure being detachably locked into the slot of the fixing portion.
4. The motherboard assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the limiting groove includes at least one wide segment and one narrow segment connected together, the width of the wide segment being greater than the width of the narrow segment.
5. The motherboard assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein there are two of the at least one retainer, and the base of one of the two retainers and the base of the other of the two retainers are respectively located on opposite sides of the electrical connector.
6. The motherboard assembly as claimed in claim 1 further includes at least one locking fastener, the base plate including a first positioning structure and a locking hole, the base including a second positioning structure and a through hole, the second positioning structure matching the first positioning structure, the through hole aligned with the locking hole, and the locking fastener passing through the through hole and locking to the locking hole.
7. A mounting bracket for securing a circuit board to an electrical connector plugged into a motherboard, the mounting bracket comprising: at least one limiting bracket, comprising: a base for being disposed on a substrate of the motherboard and located on one side of the electrical connector; an elastic limiting portion movably erected on the base, the elastic limiting portion including a stop structure for stopping the side of the circuit board away from the electrical connector; and a fixing portion connected to the base, the elastic limiting portion being detachably secured to the fixing portion; wherein the elastic limiting portion further includes a limiting groove. The limiting groove is closer to the base and extends toward the base than the stop structure, and the limiting groove is used to limit the circuit board; wherein the elastic limiting part can move between a stop position and a release position; when the elastic limiting part is in the stop position, the elastic limiting part is separated from the fixing part, and the stop structure of the elastic limiting part is used to stop the side of the circuit board away from the electrical connector; when the elastic limiting part is in the release position, the elastic limiting part is locked to the fixing part, and the stop structure of the elastic limiting part is separated from the side of the circuit board away from the electrical connector.