ELECTRONIC MODULE LOCKING AND EJECTING APPARATUS

• US 20090149044A1
• Filed: 02/19/2008
• Published: 06/11/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/10/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hong Fu Jin Precision Industry (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd. (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.), Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hong Fu Jin Precision Industry (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd. (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.), Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: YANG, JING, LEE, GUANG-YAO
• Granted Patent: US 7,575,453 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 439/79
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/187 Mounting of fixed and removable disk drives
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 33/121 the apparatus comprising a single recording/reproducing device

Abstract

A locking and ejecting apparatus includes a carriage for holding an electronic module having a connector therein, a sliding bracket slid in the carriage, a mating connector attached to the sliding bracket for connecting with the connector, a triggering portion formed on the sliding bracket, a push-push switch attached to the carriage, and a resilient member. Two actuated retaining pieces are formed on the push-push switch, and a trigger is set between the retaining pieces. When the sliding bracket is slid relative to the carriage, the resilient member is deformed and the trigger is triggered by the triggering portion, the retaining pieces are actuated to hold the triggering portion, the sliding bracket is locked in the carriage. When the trigger is triggered again, the retaining pieces are actuated to release the triggering portion, the sliding bracket is ejected out of the carriage by a restoring force of the resilient member.

Claims

1. A locking and ejecting apparatus for holding an electronic module having at least one connector, comprising:

a carriage defining an entrance for allowing entrance of the electronic module therethrough;

a sliding bracket slid in the carriage, a mating connector attached to the sliding bracket configured for mating with said at least one connector of the electronic module;

at least one resilient member being placed between the carriage and the sliding bracket configured for urging the sliding bracket sliding relative to the carriage;

a triggering portion formed on one of the carriage and the sliding bracket; and

a push-push switch attached to the other of the carriage and the sliding bracket, two actuated retaining pieces being formed on the push-push switch, a trigger set between the retaining pieces;

wherein when the electronic module is slid into the carriage via the entrance thereof and the connector of the electronic module is mated with the mating connector, the sliding bracket is pushed inward relative to the carriage and the resilient member is deformed, the trigger of the push-push switch is triggered by pressing of the triggering portion, the retaining pieces of the push-push switch are actuated to hold the triggering portion, the sliding bracket is locked in the carriage and the electronic module is received in the carriage;

when the trigger of the push-push switch is triggered by pressing of the triggering portion again, the retaining pieces of the push-push switch are actuated to release the triggering portion, the sliding bracket and the electronic module are pushed by a restoring force of said at least one resilient member, thus the electronic module is at least partially ejected from the carriage and the connector of the electronic module is departed from the mating connector.

2. The locking and ejecting apparatus as described in claim 1, wherein two sliding channels are defined in the carriage, and a plurality of sliding protrusions is formed on the sliding bracket to be slid in the sliding channels of the carriage.

3. The locking and ejecting apparatus as described in claim 2, wherein two restricting strips protrude from the carriage and respectively extend into the corresponding sliding channels, and a plurality of cutouts is defined in each of the restricting strips, and the sliding protrusions of the sliding bracket are slid into the sliding channels via the cutouts of the corresponding restricting strips.

4. The locking and ejecting apparatus as described in claim 3, wherein at least one fixing post and at least one stopping block respectively protrude from the carriage and the sliding bracket, at least one locking groove is defined in the carriage adjacent said at least one fixing post, said at least one resilient member is a torsion spring attached around said at least one fixing post, and an end of the torsion spring is locked in said at least one locking groove of the carriage and the other end of the torsion spring is abutted against said at least one stopping block of the sliding bracket.

5. The locking and ejecting apparatus as described in claim 1, wherein the carriage comprises a bottom wall having a recessed portion formed thereon, and the sliding bracket comprises a base plate slidably placed in the recessed portion of the bottom wall.

6. The locking and ejecting apparatus as described in claim 5, wherein two elongated sidewalls are respectively bent from opposite sides of the bottom wall of the carriage, a covering portion is bent from a top edge of each of the elongated sidewalls, two wing portions are respectively bent from opposite sides of the base plate of the sliding bracket corresponding to the elongated sidewalls, and an abutting portion is bent from a top edge of each of the wing portions corresponding to one covering portion.

7. The locking and ejecting apparatus as described in claim 5, wherein a receiving portion is formed on the bottom wall of the carriage for receiving said at least one mating connector therein.

8. The locking and ejecting apparatus as described in claim 7, further comprising an installing member, the installing member comprises a saw-toothed elongated portion to clasp said at least one mating connector, and two securing portions formed on the elongated portion, a notch and a through hole are respectively defined in the securing portions, a hook is formed on the base plate of the sliding bracket and latched in the notch, a fixing hole is defined in the base plate of the sliding bracket, and a fastener is inserted through the through hole and engaged in the fixing hole, thus securing the installing member to the base plate of the sliding bracket.

15. The electronic apparatus assembly as described in claim 1, wherein a plurality of slide-aiding ribs is formed on the carriage to facilitate sliding of the electronic module.

9. An electronic apparatus assembly comprising:

an electronic module with at least one electrical connector;

a carriage for receiving the electronic module therein;

a sliding bracket slid in the carriage, a mating electrical connector attached to the sliding bracket corresponding to said at least one electrical connector of the electronic module;

a resilient member secured to the carriage for urging the sliding bracket sliding relative to the carriage;

a triggering portion formed on one of the carriage and the sliding bracket; and

a push-push switch attached to the other of the carriage and the sliding bracket, two actuated retaining pieces formed on the push-push switch, a trigger set between the retaining pieces;

wherein when the electronic module is pushed into the carriage and said at least one electrical connector of the electronic module is connected with the mating electrical connector, the sliding bracket is urged to slide inward relative to the carriage and the resilient member is deformed, the trigger of the push-push switch is triggered by pressing of the triggering portion, the retaining pieces of the push-push switch are actuated to hold the triggering portion, thus the sliding bracket is fixed in the carriage and the electronic module is held in the carriage;

when the trigger of the push-push switch is triggered by pressing of the triggering portion again, the retaining pieces of the push-push switch are actuated to release the triggering portion, the sliding bracket and the electronic module are ejected out of the carriage by a restoring force of the resilient member, thus the electronic module is removed from the carriage and said at least one electrical connector of the electronic module is departed from the mating electrical connector.

10. The electronic apparatus assembly as described in claim 9, further comprising an installing member, the installing member comprises an elongated portion having a locking slot to catch the mating electrical connector, and two securing portions formed at two ends of the elongated portion respectively and secured to the sliding bracket.

11. The electronic apparatus assembly as described in claim 10, wherein a notch and a through hole are respectively defined in the securing portions, a hook is formed on the sliding bracket and locked in the notch, a fixing hole is defined in the sliding bracket, and a fastener is inserted through the through hole and engaged in the fixing hole, thus securing the installing member to the sliding bracket.

12. The electronic apparatus assembly as described in claim 9, wherein a recessed portion is formed on a bottom of the carriage, two sliding channels are defined in recessed portion, the sliding bracket is slidably received in the recessed portion, and a plurality of sliding protrusions is formed on the sliding bracket to be respectively slid in the sliding channels of recessed portion.

13. The electronic apparatus assembly as described in claim 12, wherein two restricting strips respectively protrude from two sidewalls of the carriage and extend into the corresponding sliding channels, a plurality of cutouts is defined in each of the restricting strips, and the sliding protrusions of the sliding bracket are respectively slid into the sliding channels via the cutouts of the corresponding restricting strips.

14. The electronic apparatus assembly as described in claim 13, wherein a fixing post and a stopping block respectively protrude from the carriage and the sliding bracket, a locking groove is defined in the carriage adjacent the fixing post, the resilient member is a torsion spring attached around the fixing post, and an end of the torsion spring is locked in the locking groove of the carriage and the other end of the torsion spring is abutted against the stopping block of the sliding bracket.