Electronic equipment module mounting apparatus and method

• US 7,417,866 B1
• Filed: 11/12/2002
• Issued: 08/26/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Garmin International, Inc. (Garmin Limited)
• Original Assignee: Garmin International, Inc. (Garmin Limited)
• Inventors: Klein, Jared S., Wheaton, Sheldon T., Beseth, Jeffrey L., Ruff, Brian F., Cool, Daniel J., Rollheiser, Paul J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dang; Phuc T
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tran; Thanh Y
• Application Number:
  US10/293,192
• Time in Patent Office: 2,114 Days
• Field of Search: 361/752, 361/753, 361/796, 361724-727, 361728-732, 361/684, 361/686, 361801-802, 361/747, 361/759, 361/756, 361/755, 361740-741, 361/788, 211/41.17
• US Class Current: 361/732
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/1409 by lever-type mechanisms

Abstract

An equipment module, a module retention device, as well as a system and a method for mounting equipment modules are disclosed. The modules can be installed without tools, using the retention device. Each module includes a chassis unit which slides into a unit rack, which is in turn attached to a mounting frame. The entire assembly may be mounted to an instrument panel. The module retention device is attached to the chassis unit, typically engaging a slot on the rack. A rotating fastener secures the retention device in the engaged position. The method includes inserting an electronic module into the open end of a unit rack, sliding an engagement lug attached to a cam lever into engagement with a slot on the rack, electrically coupling a connector on the module with a connector on the rack, and attaching the rack to the mounting frame.

Claims

1. An electronic equipment module, comprising:

a chassis unit having an exterior surface including a pivot, and a rear face including a first electric connector mounted thereon, the exterior surface of the chassis unit capable of slidable engagement with a unit rack including a second electric connector mounted to an interior surface of the unit rack; and

a cam lever extending along a first axis and rotatable about the pivot, wherein the cam lever includes an engagement lug extending along a second axis and capable of slidable engagement with a slot included in the unit rack, wherein the first axis is not parallel to the second axis, and wherein the first connector is capable of electrically coupling to the second connector when the cam lever is in an engaged position.

2. The module of claim 1, further including a rotating fastener attached to the cam lever and capable of rotatable engagement with the chassis unit so as to secure the cam lever in the engaged position.

3. The module of claim 2, wherein the rotating fastener is a quarter-turn locking fastener.

4. The module of claim 1, wherein the cam lever is capable of rotating about the pivot from the engaged position to the non-engaged position through an arc of about 20 to about 180 degrees.

5. The module of claim 1, wherein the pivot is fixedly attached to the cam lever.

6. The module of claim 1, wherein the pivot is rotatably attached to the cam lever.

7. The module of claim 1, wherein the slot is substantially L-shaped.

8. The module of claim 1, wherein the slot includes two intersecting open-ended sub-slots.

9. The module of claim 1, wherein the slot includes a first open-ended sub-slot located approximately parallel to a line extending from a front end of the unit rack to a rear end of the unit rack, and wherein the slot includes a second open-ended sub-slot which is not located approximately parallel to a line extending from the front end of the unit rack to the rear end of the unit rack.

10. The module of claim 1, wherein the slot includes two open-ended sub-slots intersecting to form an obtuse angle.

11. The module of claim 1, wherein the slot includes two open-ended sub-slots intersecting to form an acute angle.

12. The module of claim 1, wherein the first connector includes a first plurality of contacts, wherein the second connector includes a second plurality of contacts, and wherein rotating the cam lever about the pivot from the non-engaged position to the engaged position results in the application of a substantially equal mating force to each one of the first and second pluralities of contacts.

13. The module of claim 12, wherein the substantially equal mating force applied to each one of the first and second pluralities of contacts is concentrated along a line substantially parallel to a mating direction of the first and second pluralities of contacts.

14. An electronic equipment module mounting system, comprising:

a mounting frame adapted for mounting to a mounting surface;

a plurality of electronic equipment modules, wherein at least one of the electronic equipment modules includes a chassis unit having an exterior surface including a pivot and a rear face including a first electric connector mounted thereon; and

a unit rack coupled to the at least one electronic equipment module and coupled to the mounting frame along a module range of mounting locations with respect to the mounting frame, wherein the exterior surface of the chassis unit is capable of slidable engagement with a the unit rack including a second electric connector mounted to an interior surface of the unit rack, wherein a cam lever extending along a first axis and rotatable about the pivot includes an engagement lug capable of slidable engagement with a slot located on the unit rack, wherein the engagement lug extends along a second axis not parallel to the first axis, and wherein the first connector is capable of electrically coupling to the second connector when the cam lever is in an engaged position.

15. The mounting system of claim 14, wherein the mounting surface includes a cockpit instrument panel.

16. The mounting system of claim 14, further comprising:

a display unit located directly in front of the plurality of electronic equipment modules and in electronic communication with at least one of the plurality of electronic equipment modules, the display unit being mounted to an instrument panel.

17. The mounting system of claim 14, wherein at least one of the electronic equipment modules includes monitoring circuitry.

18. The mounting system of claim 17, wherein the monitoring circuitry includes engine monitoring circuitry.

19. The mounting system of claim 17, wherein the monitoring circuitry includes airframe monitoring circuitry.

20. A method of mounting an electronic equipment module in a mounting frame attached to a mounting surface, comprising:

attaching a unit rack to the mounting frame;

inserting the electronic module into an open end of the unit rack, wherein the electronic module includes a chassis unit having an exterior surface including a pivot and a rear face including a first electric connector mounted thereon, the exterior surface of the chassis unit capable of slidable engagement with the unit rack including a second electric connector mounted to an interior surface of the unit rack, and a cam lever extending along a first axis and rotatable about the pivot;

sliding an engagement lug extending along a second axis and attached to the cam lever into slidable engagement with a slot located on the interior surface of the unit rack, wherein the second axis is not parallel to the first axis; and

electrically coupling the first connector to the second connector by rotating the cam lever into an engaged position from a non-engaged position, and sliding the engagement lug from a first sub-slot included in the slot into a second sub-slot included in the slot, wherein the first sub-slot intersects the second sub-slot.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

establishing electrical communication between a display unit and the electronic equipment module; and

mounting the display unit to the mounting surface.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the mounting surface includes an instrument panel.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein establishing electrical communication between the display unit and the electronic equipment module includes coupling a motherboard between the display unit and the electronic equipment module.

24. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

positioning the unit rack adjacent to the mounting frame along a horizontal range of mounting locations.

25. The method of claim 20, wherein sliding the engagement lug into slidable engagement with a slot located on the interior surface of the unit rack and electrically coupling the first connector to the second connector by rotating the cam lever into an engaged position from a non-engaged position is accomplished without using tools.

26. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

rotating a fastener attached to the cam lever and capable of rotatable engagement with the chassis unit so as to secure the cam lever in the engaged position.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein rotating a fastener attached to the cam lever and capable of rotatable engagement with the chassis unit so as to secure the cam lever in the engaged position is accomplished without using tools.