Sliding Panel Rack Mount System to Reduce Assembly Hardware
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing systems for joining equipment housings in rack systems are cumbersome, requiring numerous steps and excessive hardware, such as screws and bolts, leading to wasted space and complexity in assembly and maintenance.
Innovation Solution
The introduction of modular housing apparatuses featuring planar, parallelogram-shaped panels with U-shaped channels and C-shaped panels that slidingly engage, allowing for secure attachment of housings without the need for extensive hardware, facilitating easier assembly and reduced complexity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional screw and bolt systems are used to join equipment housings to racks and each other, then secure attachment is achieved, but device complexity and assembly time increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces rack mount brackets as intermediary components that simplify the joining process. These brackets feature pre-formed attachment points and geometric designs that enable straightforward connection between equipment housings and racks, eliminating the need for complex multi-step screw and bolt assembly procedures while maintaining secure attachment
Solution Approach 2:
The joining system is divided into separate functional components: rack mount brackets for attachment to the rack, and separate fastening mechanisms for connecting equipment to the brackets. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently and simplifies the overall assembly process by breaking down the complex joining operation into manageable steps
2Reliability
If multiple screws and bolts are used to secure equipment to racks and each other, then reliable joining is achieved, but loss of substance increases due to wasted hardware
Solution Approach 1:
The rack mount brackets are designed as universal components that can attach to various equipment housings and rack configurations using standardized attachment points. This multi-functionality reduces the need for specialized hardware for each specific joining scenario, minimizing hardware waste while maintaining reliable connections across different equipment types
3Reliability
If traditional rack mounting systems with multiple hardware components are used, then secure joining is achieved, but ease of manufacture decreases due to numerous assembly steps
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple fastening functions into integrated rack mount brackets that feature built-in attachment points and geometric designs for direct connection. This merging of functions into single components eliminates the need for separate screws, bolts, and mounting plates, significantly simplifying the manufacturing and assembly process while maintaining joining security
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.