Slide rail locking device
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional slide rail locking devices suffer from locking members that are pivotably connected to the inner rail, which can deform easily due to the low hardness of the inner rail, leading to smooth engagement issues.
Innovation Solution
A slide rail locking device with a base unit and locking unit, where the locking member is rotatably connected to a base with greater strength than the inner rail, featuring a driving member and resilient member to ensure smooth rotation and disengagement from the outer frame, allowing the inner rail to move relative to the outer rail.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If the locking member is pivotably connected to the inner rail, then the locking device can be simple in structure, but the locking member cannot pivot smoothly or engage the outer connecting frame when the inner rail deforms
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a base as an intermediary component between the inner rail and the locking member. The base is fixedly connected to the inner rail and provides a stable mounting point for the locking member to pivot from. This intermediary structure isolates the locking member from direct deformation of the inner rail, ensuring smooth pivoting and reliable engagement with the outer connecting frame even when the inner rail deforms.
2Ease of manufacture
If the inner rail is made of steel with low hardness, then the inner rail can be easily manufactured and has good ductility, but the inner rail deforms easily causing the locking member to fail engagement
Solution Approach 1:
The base serves as a mediator that transfers the connection from the inner rail to the locking member in a way that compensates for the inner rail's low hardness. By fixing the base to the inner rail and having the locking member pivot from the base rather than directly from the inner rail, the system maintains the ease of manufacturing the inner rail while preventing its deformation from affecting locking reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality enhancement by creating a localized strong connection point at the base. While the inner rail itself remains soft and easy to manufacture, the base provides a locally reinforced mounting structure that resists deformation and ensures stable pivoting of the locking member, effectively concentrating the structural strength where needed.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution ensures the locking member maintains smooth operation even with inner rail deformation, facilitating easy removal and reattachment of servers from the rack cabinet.
Implementation Method 1
a resilient member that is connected to the base and the locking member
Data Source
AI summary
A slide rail locking device includes a base unit, a locking member, and a driving member, and is adapted to be disposed on a slide rail that includes an outer rail and an inner rail. The base unit includes a base, an inner support frame, and an outer frame that has an outer connecting portion and an engaging portion. The base has a strength that is greater than a strength of the inner rail. The inner support frame and the base cooperatively define a moving slot. The locking member has a locking portion that separably engages the engaging portion of the outer frame. The driving member is movably disposed in the moving slot, and is operable to move along the moving slot to urge the locking member to rotate such that the locking portion of the locking member is disengaged from the engaging portion of the outer frame.