SLIDE LOADED PCIE CARD ASSEMBLY WITH EMI SHIELDING

• US 20200137933A1
• Filed: 10/29/2018
• Published: 04/30/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 10/29/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: ELSASSER, Ryan, PEETS, Michael T., BOLDE, Lannie R., OLSON, David C.
• Granted Patent: US 10,973,157 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/1427 Housings
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/1461 Slidable card holders; Card stiffeners; Control or display means therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 9/0016 having a spring contact
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 9/0062 Structures of standardised dimensions, e.g. 19" rack, chassis for servers or telecommunications

Abstract

A cassette for insertion and removal of an edge-connected printed circuit card connectable to a server chassis is disclosed. The cassette includes a housing comprising a bottom wall having at least one elongated slot and a catch formed thereon. The cassette further includes a connector sub-assembly overlying the bottom wall having an edge connector socket formed thereon and configured to receive the edge-connected printed circuit card. The cassette further includes a guide sub-assembly underlying the bottom wall having a spring latch formed thereon. The spring latch is operable in a first state to engage the catch to prevent movement of the connector sub-assembly and the guide sub-assembly relative to the housing. The spring latch is operable in a second state to clear the catch to permit the connector sub-assembly and the guide sub-assembly to slide in unison in the at least one elongated slot.

Claims

1. A cassette for insertion and removal of an edge-connected printed circuit card connectable to a server chassis, comprising:

a housing comprising a bottom wall having at least one elongated slot and a catch formed thereon;

a connector sub-assembly overlying the bottom wall having an edge connector socket formed thereon and configured to receive the edge-connected printed circuit card; and

a guide sub-assembly underlying the bottom wall having a spring latch formed thereon, the spring latch operable in a first state to engage the catch to prevent movement of the connector sub-assembly and the guide sub-assembly relative to the housing,

wherein the spring latch is operable in a second state to clear the catch to permit the connector sub-assembly and the guide sub-assembly to slide in unison in the at least one elongated slot.

2. The cassette of claim 1, wherein the connector sub-assembly further comprises at least one fastener hole formed in the connector sub-assembly for receiving a fastener.

3. The cassette of claim 2, wherein the connector sub-assembly further comprises an input/output male socket located on the connector sub-assembly to connect to a corresponding female connector located at a back of the server chassis, the input/output male socket further configured to transfer input and output signals routed to/from the edge-connected printed circuit card that is plugged into the edge connector socket by a plurality of printed circuit conductor traces located between the edge connector socket and the input/output male socket located on the connector sub-assembly.

4. The cassette of claim 2, wherein the guide sub-assembly further comprises one first fastener hole formed in the guide sub-assembly for being secured to the at least one fastener through the at least one fastener hole in the connector sub-assembly and the at least one fastener passing through the at least one elongated slot in the housing.

5. The cassette of claim 4, wherein the guide sub-assembly further comprises an elongated female rough guidance slot located along a length of a bottom side of guide sub-assembly to provide rough guidance of the cassette along a corresponding male rough guidance fin located on a motherboard of the server chassis.

6. The cassette of claim 5, wherein the guide sub-assembly further comprises a pair of fine guidance pins extending from the guide sub-assembly to provide fine guidance of the cassette to corresponding slots located at a back of the server chassis and to provide guidance for an input/output male socket located on the connector sub-assembly to mate with a corresponding female connector located at the back of the server chassis.

7. The cassette of claim 2, further comprising a spacer sub-assembly underlying the connector sub-assembly and overlying the bottom wall of the housing, the spacer sub-assembly having at least one fastener hole formed in the connector sub-assembly and at least one locating pin formed in the connector sub-assembly and extending therefrom, the at least one fastener hole formed in the connector sub-assembly configured to receive the at least one fastener and the at least one locating pin to align the connector sub-assembly with the spacer sub-assembly.

8. The cassette of claim 7, wherein the at least one fastener threaded through the at least one fastener hole in the connector sub-assembly and the at least one hole in the spacer sub-assembly, the at least one elongated slot in the bottom wall, and in at least one fastener hole in the guide sub-assembly define a combined height that is greater than a height of the connector sub-assembly and the spacer sub-assembly overlying the guide sub-assembly alone, the combined height providing a clearance for the housing to slide freely relative to the connector sub-assembly, the spacer sub-assembly, and the guide sub-assembly.

9. The cassette of claim 1, further comprising at least one fastener threaded through at least one corresponding fastener hole in the connector sub-assembly, the at least one elongated slot in the bottom wall, and secured in at least one fastener hole in the guide sub-assembly,

wherein, when the spring latch is operated, the spring latch clears the catch to permit connector sub-assembly and the guide sub-assembly to slide in unison in the at least one elongated slot relative to the housing and guided by the at least one fastener.

10. The cassette of claim 1, further comprising an EMI shield assembly configured to be mechanically coupled to a back face of a front wall of the housing, the EMI shield assembly comprising an upper EMI gasket, a lower EMI gasket, and a tail-stock connected the upper EMI gasket to the lower EMI gasket.

11. The cassette of claim 10, wherein each of the upper EMI gasket and the lower EMI gasket each has a spring finger geometry that comprises spring fingers and slots for connection to corresponding slots and spring fingers located at corresponding ends of the tail-stock.

12. The cassette of claim 10, wherein the tail-stock has a fanfold geometry with a central space for receiving an I/O connector of the edge-connected printed circuit card.

13. The cassette of claim 10, wherein the EMI shield assembly has a spring finger/fanfold geometry sized and shaped to cover any openings in a back face of a front wall of the housing of the cassette.

14. The cassette of claim 10, wherein EMI shield assembly is compressed against a back face of a front wall of the housing of the cassette when the connector sub-assembly and the guide sub-assembly slide against the back face.

15. A cassette for insertion and removal of an edge-connected printed circuit card to and from a server chassis, comprising:

a housing comprising a bottom wall having a first end, a second end, and a central section between the first end and the second end, wherein a first slot is formed in the first end of the housing and a second slot is formed in the second end of the housing, and wherein a catch is formed in the central section of the housing;

a connector sub-assembly overlying the bottom wall and comprising a base having a first end, a central section, and a second end, the first end of the connector sub-assembly having a first fastener hole formed in the connector sub-assembly for receiving a first fastener, the second end of the connector sub-assembly having a second fastener hole formed in the connector sub-assembly for receiving a second fastener, the connector sub-assembly further comprising an edge connector socket located on the base of the connector sub-assembly within the central section of the connector sub-assembly, the edge connector socket configured to receive the edge-connected printed circuit card; and

a guide sub-assembly disposed underlying the bottom wall and comprising a base having a first end, a central section, and a second end, the first end of the guide sub-assembly having a first fastener hole formed in the guide sub-assembly for securing the first fastener, the second end of the guide sub-assembly having a second fastener hole formed in the guide sub-assembly for securing the second fastener, and the central section of the guide sub-assembly having a spring latch formed in the guide sub-assembly, the spring latch operable in a first state to engage the catch in a closed position to prevent movement of the connector sub-assembly and the guide sub-assembly relative to the housing,

wherein the spring latch is operable in a second state to clear the catch to permit the connector sub-assembly and the guide sub-assembly to slide in the first and second slots of the base of the housing from the closed position to an open position that permits access to the edge connector socket.

16. The cassette of claim 15, further comprising a spacer sub-assembly underlying the connector sub-assembly and overlying the bottom wall of the housing, the spacer sub-assembly having a first fastener hole formed in the spacer sub-assembly and a second fastener hole formed in the spacer sub-assembly, and at least one locating pin formed in the spacer sub-assembly and extending therefrom, the first fastener hole formed in the spacer sub-assembly and the second fastener hole formed in the spacer sub-assembly configured to receive the first fastener and the second fastener, the at least one locating pin formed in the spacer sub-assembly to align the connector sub-assembly with the spacer sub-assembly.

17. The cassette of claim 15, wherein the guide sub-assembly further comprises an elongated female rough guidance slot located along a length of a bottom side of guide sub-assembly to provide rough guidance of the cassette along a corresponding male rough guidance fin located on a motherboard of the server chassis.

18. The cassette of claim 15, further comprising an EMI shield assembly located in the housing, wherein EMI shield assembly is compressed against a back face of a front wall of the housing of the cassette when the connector sub-assembly and the guide sub-assembly slide against the back face.

19. A method for permitting insertion and removal of an edge-connected printed circuit card to be connectable to server chassis, comprising:

providing a cassette having a housing comprising a bottom wall having at least one elongated slot and a catch formed thereon, the cassette further having an input/output (I/O) sub-assembly having a first portion overlying the bottom wall of the housing and a second portion underlying the bottom wall of the housing, the first portion having an edge connector socket formed thereon, the second portion having a spring latch formed thereon, the spring latch, in a first state, engaging the catch in a closed position to prevent movement of the I/O sub-assembly relative to the housing; and

operating the spring latch when in a second state to clear the catch to permit the I/O sub-assembly to slide in the at least one elongated slot from the closed position to an open position that permits access to the edge connector socket.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising compressing an EMI shield assembly against a back face of a front wall of the housing of the cassette when the I/O sub-assembly slides against the back face of the front wall.