Caster Attachment Plate With Mating Recesses for Upright Rack Installation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current caster attachment methods for electronic equipment enclosures are cumbersome, often requiring the cabinet to be positioned on its side for installation, and can result in costly rework or scrap due to issues like cross-threading or stripped threads, especially when fasteners become loose in the field.
Innovation Solution
A caster assembly with a top plate featuring countersunk recesses that align with mating features on the enclosure's frame, using bolts and nuts or collars to secure the caster assembly in place, allowing for easy installation and retention without the need for precise visual alignment, and eliminating the risk of shifting or damage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If pre-installed threaded studs and serrated flange nuts are used for caster attachment, then the caster can be secured to the enclosure, but the installation requires the cabinet to be positioned on its side and access to fastener hardware is greatly diminished once the cabinet is upright
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the traditional fastener arrangement by placing the threaded stud on the caster assembly rather than pre-installing it on the cabinet frame. This allows the caster to be attached from the upright position, eliminating the need to position the cabinet on its side for installation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a top plate with a recess as an intermediary component between the caster and the cabinet frame. This recess receives the threaded stud and provides a enlarged access area that facilitates easier fastening operations while the cabinet remains upright.
2Reliability
If traditional fastener methods are used, then the caster can be attached to the enclosure, but expensive rework and scrap result if the fastener damages the installed threaded stud through cross-threading or stripped threads
Solution Approach 1:
The patent provides beforehand protection by designing the top plate with a recess that pre-positioned the threaded stud. This cushioning design prevents misalignment and damage during installation, eliminating cross-threading and stripped thread failures before they can occur.
Solution Approach 2:
The recess in the top plate serves as a self-aligning feature that automatically guides the threaded stud into the correct position during installation. This self-service mechanism eliminates the need for precise manual alignment and prevents damage without requiring additional alignment tools or procedures.
3Ease of operation
If threaded studs are pre-installed on the cabinet frame, then casters can be attached, but the fasteners can become loose in the field requiring cabinet scrap
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the traditional arrangement by placing the threaded stud on the movable caster assembly rather than the stationary cabinet frame. This ensures that the fastener moves with the caster, maintaining proper engagement and preventing loosening during cabinet operation and vibration.
Data Source
AI summary
A caster assembly for installation in an electronic equipment enclosure includes a top plate, a forked support member, and an axled wheel. The top plate is attachable to a frame structure of the electronic equipment enclosure and includes a plurality of countersunk recesses. The forked support member extends downward from the top plate, and the axled wheel is supported on the forked support member. The caster assembly is installable in an assembled electronic equipment enclosure by aligning the countersunk recesses of the top plate beneath mating features at an underside of the frame structure such that, once aligned, the weight of the assembled electronic equipment enclosure retains each mating feature of the frame structure within a respective one of the plurality of countersunk recesses in the top plate, thereby retaining the caster assembly in position to support the assembled electronic equipment enclosure.