Extractable Drawer Housing for Electronic Component Maintenance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electronic equipment housing structures, or racks, face challenges in accessibility for installation and maintenance due to connectors being located at the back, making it difficult to perform repairs or replacements without disassembling the boards and increasing the overall dimensions when trying to make connectors more accessible.
Innovation Solution
A rack-type housing structure with a drawer system that allows electronic apparatuses to be inserted and removed without disconnecting external wiring connections, enabling maintenance outside the structure, using a dual PCB backplate for connectors and centering pins for precise alignment, allowing easy access and connection management.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If connectors are placed at the back of the structure for compact design, then the structure's bulk is reduced, but accessibility for maintenance and installation deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The structure is divided into a fixed backplate portion and a movable drawer portion. The connectors are segmented between these two parts, with the backplate containing connection terminals and the drawer containing corresponding connectors. This segmentation allows the drawer to be extracted for maintenance while maintaining compact overall structure when closed.
Solution Approach 2:
The drawer portion is made movable relative to the fixed backplate, transitioning between inserted (compact) and extracted (accessible) positions. This dynamic configuration allows the system to switch between space-efficient and maintenance-accessible states, resolving the contradiction between compact design and ease of operation.
2Ease of operation
If connectors are made more accessible by increasing space, then accessibility for maintenance improves, but the structure's dimensions increase
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of increasing horizontal space for accessibility, the solution utilizes the depth dimension by allowing the drawer to extract forward. This dimensional shift provides adequate access space without increasing the structure's height or width, maintaining compact footprint while improving maintenance accessibility.
3Ease of repair
If boards must be disassembled to access connectors for repairs, then connector accessibility improves, but installation and maintenance time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The drawer containing the connectors and associated circuit boards is extracted as a complete assembly from the fixed structure. This extraction eliminates the need to disassemble individual boards or connectors, allowing maintenance personnel to access and repair components directly on the extracted drawer, significantly reducing maintenance time.
Solution Approach 2:
The movable drawer acts as an intermediary between the fixed backplate and the external environment. It provides a portable maintenance platform that can be extracted for repairs and then reinserted, serving as a mediator that enables easy access without requiring disassembly of the permanent structure.
4Manufacturing precision
If a dual PCB backplate system is used for connector alignment, then connection precision improves, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The dual PCB backplate system merges mechanical support, electrical connection, and alignment functions into a single integrated structure. The first and second PCBs are combined with centering pins and connection terminals to create a multifunctional assembly that provides precise alignment while maintaining manageable complexity through functional integration.
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a structure (1) for housing electronic apparatuses (10) such as boards (11) and the like, wherein the apparatuses are arranged in a container with a drawer (40) insertable and extractable with respect to a frame (20) of the structure (1). On the back wall of the drawer (40) and on the frame (20) connectors (53, 54) are provided which are coupled directly and automatically when the drawer is inserted.