Mounting apparatus for expansion card

1. Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to mounting apparatuses, and particularly, to an apparatus for mounting an expansion card.

2. Description of Related Art

An expansion card, such as a memory card, is usually fixed on a circuit board of an electronic device, such as a computer or a server, by a mounting apparatus. The mounting apparatus includes an expansion slot to electrically connect the expansion card, and two locking members disposed at two opposite ends of the expansion slot for clamping two opposite ends of the expansion card. However, the expansion slot can only mount one type of expansion cards, such as memory cards. For an expansion card of a different type, such as a solid state disk card, which is larger than the expansion cards in size, when the solid state disk card is inserted into the expansion slot, the locking members can only clamp lower portions of two opposite ends of the card. Thus, the solid state disk card cannot be securely fixed through the locking members.

Many aspects of the present embodiments can be better understood with reference to the following drawings. The components in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, the emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the present embodiments. Moreover, in the drawings, all the views are schematic, and like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the several views.

FIG. 1 is an exploded, isometric view of an exemplary embodiment of a mounting apparatus, together with an expansion card, wherein the mounting apparatus includes two latching members.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged, isometric view of the latching member of FIG. 1 , but viewed from another perspective.

FIG. 3 is an assembled, isometric view of the mounting apparatus of FIG. 1 .

FIG. 4 is similar to FIG. 3 , but shows a different state of use.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of FIG. 4 , taken along the line of V-V.

The present disclosure, including the accompanying drawings, is illustrated by way of examples and not by way of limitation. It should be noted that references to “an” or “one” embodiment in this disclosure are not necessarily to the same embodiment, and such references mean at least one.

Referring to FIG. 1 , an exemplary embodiment of a mounting apparatus is used for mounting an expansion card 30 . The mounting apparatus includes an expansion slot 50 , two locking members 54 mounted to opposite ends of the expansion slot 50 , and two latching members 10 pivotably mounted to two opposite ends of the expansion card 30 through two shafts 70 , respectively.

The expansion slot 50 is installed on a motherboard 60 . Each locking member 54 includes a latching block 542 extending from a top of the locking member 54 toward the other locking member 54 , and an operation portion 544 extending from the top of the locking member 54 away from the latching block 542 .

The expansion card 30 includes an elongated circuit board 31 . An edge connector 32 formed on a bottom side of the circuit board 31 , and a plurality of chips 33 mounted on a side surface of the circuit board 31 . Two pivot holes 34 are defined in two opposite top corners of the circuit board 31 . Two locating holes 342 are defined in the top corners, respectively, between the pivot holes 34 and adjacent to the corresponding pivot hole 34 . Two engaging holes 344 are defined in the top corners, respectively below the corresponding pivot holes 34 . Two cutouts 36 are defined in two opposite ends of the circuit board 31 . In the embodiment, the expansion card 30 is a solid state disk card.

Referring to FIG. 2 , each latching member 10 is substantially U-shaped, and includes two parallel sidewalls 14 , and a connection wall 12 perpendicularly connected between corresponding sides of the sidewalls 14 . The connection wall 12 and the sidewalls 14 cooperatively bound a receiving space 15 . Two engaging pieces 142 extend in from the bottoms of the sidewalls 14 , adjacent to the connection wall 12 . A wedge-shaped latching portion 18 protrudes in from a middle of a lower portion of the connection wall 12 . A substantially U-shaped installation portion 16 extends up from tops of the sidewalls 14 . The installation portion 16 includes two supporting plates 161 extending up from and coplanar with the corresponding sidewalls 14 , and a connecting plate 162 perpendicularly connected between corresponding sides of the supporting plates 161 and parallel to the connection wall 12 . A lower end of the connecting plate 162 extends down into the receiving space 15 . Two engaging plates 164 perpendicularly extend from the connecting plate 162 , in the receiving space 15 and parallel to the sidewalls 14 . An engaging slot 165 is defined between the engaging plates 164 .

Two pivoting portions 166 are formed between tops of the engaging plates 164 and the corresponding supporting plates 161 , facing each other. A shaft hole 1661 is defined in each pivoting portion 166 , with two ends of the shaft hole 1661 extending through an outer side of the supporting plate 161 and the pivot portion 166 , communicating with the engaging slot 165 . A bar-shaped extension arm 168 extends from one of the pivoting portions 166 , in the receiving space 15 . A hemispherical projection 1682 protrudes from a distal end of the extension arm 168 , facing the other pivoting portion 166 . A substantially L-shaped operation portion 19 extends up from a top of the connection wall 12 . In the embodiment, the latching member 10 is made of resilient material, such as plastic, and is integrally formed.

Referring to FIG. 3 , in assembly, each latching member 10 is attached to a corresponding end of the expansion card 30 . The end of the expansion card 30 is received in the engaging slot 165 . A shaft 70 extends through one of the shaft holes 1661 , the corresponding pivot hole 34 , and the other shaft hole 1661 , to pivotably connect the latching member 10 to the expansion card 30 . Before assembling the expansion card 30 to the expansion slot 50 , the projections 1682 are engaged in the corresponding engaging holes 344 , thereby making the latching members 10 parallel to an elongated direction of the expansion card 30 .

Referring to FIGS. 4 and 5 , in assembling the expansion card 30 to the expansion slot 50 , the locking members 54 are rotated out to make the latching blocks 542 move away from each other. The edge connector 32 is inserted into the expansion slot 50 . The locking members 54 are rotated back to make the latching blocks 542 latch in the corresponding cutouts 36 . The latching members 10 are rotated down, deforming the extension arms 168 , thereby the projections 1682 disengage from the corresponding engaging holes 344 . When the projections 1682 align with the corresponding locating holes 342 , the extension arms 168 are restored to drive the projections 1682 to latch into the corresponding locating holes 342 . The latching portions 18 are latched with a bottom surface of operation portion 544 of the locking member 54 . The engaging pieces 142 of the latching member 10 abut against two side surfaces of the end of the expansion slot 50 .

In disassembling the expansion card 30 from the expansion slot 50 , the operation portions 19 of the latching members 10 are pressed in toward each other. The latching portions 18 are disengaged from the operation portions 544 . The latching members 10 are rotated out, deforming the extension arm 168 , thereby the projections 1682 disengage from the locating hole 342 , until the projections 1682 are latched into the engaging holes 344 . The operation portions 544 of the locking members 50 are rotated out. The latching blocks 542 are disengaged from the corresponding cutouts 36 . The expansion card 30 is ready to be removed from the expansion slot 50 .

It is to be understood, however, that even though numerous characteristics and advantages of the embodiments have been set forth in the foregoing description, together with details of the structure and function of the embodiments, the present disclosure is illustrative only, and changes may be made in details, especially in matters of shape, size, and arrangement of parts within the principles of the embodiments to the full extent indicated by the broad general meaning of the terms in which the appended claims are expressed.