Sliding Panel Coupling System for Tool-Free Rack Equipment Assembly
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing systems for joining equipment housings in rack systems are complex, inefficient, and require numerous screws and bolts, leading to wasted space and increased maintenance needs.
Innovation Solution
The use of modular housing apparatuses featuring planar, parallelogram-shaped panels with U-shaped channels and C-shaped panels with lip channels, allowing for sliding engagement and secure attachment of equipment housings without the need for extensive hardware, facilitating easy assembly and reduced hardware requirements.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional rack mounting systems use screws, bolts, and brackets to secure equipment housings, then the connection strength and reliability are improved, but the device complexity and number of hardware components increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple separate hardware components (brackets, screws, bolts, washers) into a single integrated rack mounting panel with built-in mounting structures. The panel incorporates mounting holes, recesses, and structural features directly into its design, eliminating the need for separate brackets and fasteners, thereby reducing component count while maintaining connection reliability
Solution Approach 2:
The rack mounting panel serves multiple functions simultaneously: it provides structural support, contains integrated mounting holes for securing equipment, includes recesses for cable management, and offers a standardized interface for rack installation. This multi-functional design replaces multiple specialized components with a single universal mounting solution
2Reliability
If traditional mounting systems use multiple screws and brackets, then the secure attachment is achieved, but the assembly time and maintenance complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The mounting holes, recesses, and structural features are pre-integrated into the rack mounting panel during manufacturing. This preliminary preparation eliminates the need for on-site assembly of multiple separate components, allowing for rapid installation by simply positioning and securing equipment through the pre-configured panel structures
Solution Approach 2:
By combining multiple mounting operations into a single integrated panel, the system reduces the number of assembly steps from installing separate brackets and fasteners to a single positioning and fastening operation, significantly reducing assembly time while maintaining secure attachment
3Stability of the object's composition
If traditional systems require numerous screws and bolts for joining housings, then the connection stability is improved, but the space efficiency and ease of maintenance deteriorate due to hardware storage and management requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the mounting functionality from separate hardware components (screws, bolts, brackets) and integrates it directly into the rack mounting panel structure. This extraction eliminates the need to store, manage, and handle multiple small hardware pieces, improving maintenance ease while preserving connection stability through the integrated design
Solution Approach 2:
The integrated panel serves as both the mounting surface and the structural support element, eliminating the need for separate hardware storage and management. The standardized design allows for easy replacement and maintenance without requiring specialized knowledge of multiple hardware types
Data Source
AI summary
Described herein are systems, modes, and methods for mounting one or more electronic housings to each other and to a rack mount system, a table mount system, or wall mount system. The mounting system includes a first pair of matching sliding panels that interface with each other in a slidingly engaging manner. Each of the first pair of sliding panels can be mounted to housings prior to being engaged with each other; the engagement of the first pair of sliding panels removably fixes the two housings together; additional housings can be fixed to the first two in a substantially similar manner. The first pair of sliding panels includes a U-shaped sliding panel and a C-shaped sliding panel, and according to a second embodiment, a second pair of sliding panels includes a C-shaped sliding panel and a Pi-shaped sliding panel. The second pair of sliding panels operates in a substantially similar manner as the first pair of sliding panels.