U.S. patent application number 11/285477 was filed with the patent office on 2007-05-24 for mounting system for equipment enclosures.
This patent application is currently assigned to Lockheed Martin Corporation. Invention is credited to James Viar, Barry Wake.
Application Number | 20070114192 11/285477 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 38052425 |
Filed Date | 2007-05-24 |
United States Patent
Application |
20070114192 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Wake; Barry ; et
al. |
May 24, 2007 |
Mounting system for equipment enclosures
Abstract
A system for mounting equipment into enclosures includes one or
more longitudinal rails with bent flanges and a plurality of holes
within the flanges. A side bracket mounts to the equipment, and
also to the flanges of the rails. The side bracket has bent ears
with slots therein, which mate with a portion of the plurality of
holes in the rail flanges. The system permits three axis adjustment
of the equipment, and in particular, fasteners inserted through the
holes and slots permit the side to side adjustment of the
equipment.
Inventors: |
Wake; Barry; (Front Royal,
VA) ; Viar; James; (Manassas, VA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
Lockheed Martin Corporation;Intellectual Property Law Department
Mail Drop 043
9500 Godwin Drive, Bldg. 400
Manassas
VA
20110
US
|
Assignee: |
Lockheed Martin Corporation
Bethesda
MD
|
Family ID: |
38052425 |
Appl. No.: |
11/285477 |
Filed: |
November 23, 2005 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
211/26 ;
211/191 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H05K 7/183 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
211/026 ;
211/191 |
International
Class: |
A47F 7/00 20060101
A47F007/00 |
Goverment Interests
[0001] This invention was made with Government support under
N00024-96-C-6226 awarded by the Department of the Navy. The
Government has certain rights in this invention.
Claims
1. A mounting system for equipment comprising: a first rail
comprising: a longitudinal body including a first longitudinal edge
and a second longitudinal edge; a first flange connected to said
first longitudinal edge; a second flange connected to said second
longitudinal edge; a plurality of holes positioned in said first
flange and said second flange according to EIA standards; and and a
plurality of holes within said longitudinal body, said holes within
said longitudinal body for receiving a fastener for connecting said
rail to an enclosure; a second rail comprising: a longitudinal body
including a first longitudinal edge and a second longitudinal edge;
a first flange connected to said first longitudinal edge; a second
flange connected to said second longitudinal edge; a plurality of
holes positioned in said first flange and said second flange
according to EIA standards; and a plurality of holes within said
longitudinal body, said holes within said longitudinal body for
receiving a fastener for connecting said rail to an enclosure; and
a side bracket comprising a longitudinal body and bent ears
attached to the ends of said longitudinal body, said bent ears
having slots therein for aligning with said holes in said first
flanges, thereby permitting a side to side adjustment of said side
bracket.
2. The mounting system of claim 1, wherein said enclosure is for
electronic components.
3. The mounting system of claim 2, wherein said enclosure comprises
a structurally integrated enclosure.
4. The mounting system of claim 1, wherein said side bracket
further comprises: a first longitudinal section and a second
longitudinal section, said first longitudinal section slidably
coupled to said second longitudinal section; and one or more slots
within the body of said second longitudinal section, said slots to
receive a fastener coupled to said first longitudinal section,
thereby permitting longitudinal adjustment of said side
bracket.
5. The mounting system of claim 1, wherein said flanges and said
longitudinal bodies of said first and second rails form
substantially 90 degree angles.
6. The mounting system of claim 1, wherein said longitudinal bodies
and said first flanges and said second flanges form a Z shape.
7. The mounting system of claim 1, wherein said longitudinal bodies
and said first flanges and said second flanges form a C shape.
8. The mounting system of claim 1, wherein said equipment is
electronic equipment.
9. An apparatus comprising: an integrated longitudinal body with a
first longitudinal edge and a second longitudinal edge; a first
flange coupled to said first longitudinal edge; and a second flange
coupled to said second longitudinal edge; wherein said first flange
comprises holes positioned therein according to EIA standards.
10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein said second flange comprises
holes positioned therein according to EIA standards.
11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein said first flange and said
second flange form substantially 90 degree angles with said
longitudinal body.
12. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein said apparatus is mounted
onto an enclosure for electronic equipment.
13. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein said longitudinal body and
said first flange and said second flange form a Z shape.
14. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein said longitudinal body and
said first flange and said second flange form a C shape.
15. A mounting system for equipment comprising: a first rail
comprising: a longitudinal body including a first longitudinal edge
and a second longitudinal edge; a first flange connected to said
first longitudinal edge; a second flange connected to said second
longitudinal edge; a plurality of holes positioned in said first
flange and said second flange according to EIA standards; and and a
plurality of holes within said longitudinal body, said holes within
said longitudinal body for receiving a fastener for connecting said
rail to an enclosure; and a side bracket comprising a longitudinal
body and bent ears attached to the ends of said longitudinal body,
said bent ears having slots therein for aligning with said holes in
said first flange, thereby permitting a side to side adjustment of
said side bracket.
16. The mounting system of claim 15, further comprising: a second
rail comprising: a longitudinal body including a first longitudinal
edge and a second longitudinal edge; a first flange connected to
said first longitudinal edge; a second flange connected to said
second longitudinal edge; a plurality of holes positioned in said
first flange and said second flange according to EIA standards; and
a plurality of holes within said longitudinal body, said holes
within said longitudinal body for receiving a fastener for
connecting said rail to an enclosure.
17. The mounting system of claim 15, wherein said first flange and
said second flange form substantially 90 degree angles with said
longitudinal body.
18. The mounting system of claim 15, wherein said longitudinal
body, said first flange, and said second flange form a Z shape.
19. The mounting system of claim 15, wherein said longitudinal
body, said first flange, and said second flange form a C shape.
20. The mounting system of claim 15, wherein said side bracket
further comprises: a first longitudinal section and a second
longitudinal section, said first longitudinal section slidably
coupled to said second longitudinal section; and one or more slots
within the body of said second longitudinal section, said slots to
receive a fastener coupled to said first longitudinal section,
thereby permitting longitudinal adjustment of said side
bracket.
21. The mounting system of claim 15, wherein said enclosure is for
electronic equipment.
22. A system for mounting electronic equipment into an enclosure,
comprising: an integrated first rail comprising holes in an EIA
standard pattern; an integrated second rail comprising holes in an
EIA standard pattern; and a side bracket comprising slots; wherein
said side bracket is coupled to said first rail and said second
rail via fasteners positioned in said slots and said holes; and
further wherein said system permits three axis adjustment.
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0002] Various embodiments of the invention relate to the field of
cabinets and enclosures for holding equipment, especially computer
and other electronic equipment, and in an embodiment, but not by
way of limitation, to a rail mounting system allowing for ease of
installation of equipment into the enclosures, adjustment of the
equipment while in the enclosures, and removal of the equipment
from the enclosures.
BACKGROUND
[0003] Computer and electronic equipment may be mounted in standard
commercial rack mounting systems and/or Structurally Integrated
Enclosures (SIE). In an attempt to standardize such installations,
the Electronic Industry Association (EIA) has promulgated standards
for mounting hardware. However, despite the EIA standards, in many
situations there still remain dimensional tolerance variances
between equipment and cabinets, and various adjustments are
required so that the equipment will securely fit into the cabinet.
These adjustments are normally implemented with shims. However,
shims are not a desirable solution because they add variables to
both the technical and cost aspects of an installation.
[0004] These dimensional tolerance variances are normally
associated with the side to side movement and adjustment of the
electronic equipment. In such systems, side brackets are used to
mount the electronic equipment onto a standard EIA rail that in
turn is mounted to the rear portion of a cabinet or enclosure.
Another rail mounted to the front portion of the enclosure is used
to secure the front panel of the electronic equipment to the rail.
In such a setup, the rails allow minimal front to rear and top to
bottom adjustment, and they allow virtually no side to side
adjustment since the side bracket is mounted flat on the rails.
[0005] FIGS. 1a and 1b illustrate two examples of rails known in
the art that are used to mount electronic equipment into a cabinet.
The rails 10a and 10b include first substantially L-shaped sections
15a and 15b, and second substantially L-shaped sections 20a and
20b. Sections 15a and 15b include longitudinal bodies 23a and 23b
and flanges 25a and 25b. Sections 20a and 20b include longitudinal
bodies 30a and 30b and flanges 35a and 35b. Longitudinal bodies 23a
and 23b include a plurality of holes 27a and 27b along the length
of the bodies 23a and 23b which are for mounting the rails 10a and
10b to a cabinet. L-shaped sections 20a and 20b include a plurality
of holes 40a and 40b that are used to connect L-shaped sections 15a
and 15b to L-shaped sections 20a and 20b respectively. Flanges 25a
and 25b include a plurality of holes 45a and 45b that are used to
secure a side mounting bracket (not shown in FIGS. 1a and 1b)
(through holes on the side mounting bracket) to the rails 10a or
10b, or to mount accessory components to the rails 10a and 10b,
depending on the installation. The flanges 35a and 35b also contain
a plurality of holes (not visible in FIG. 1) that are similarly
used to mount either a side mounting bracket or accessory
components to the rails 10a or 10b.
[0006] Equipment that is installed into a cabinet mounts to a side
bracket. In such installations, as demonstrated in FIGS. 1a and 1b,
two L-brackets are used for each mounting location--thereby
requiring at least eight such L-brackets (in a four corner
installation). One such L-bracket mounts to the cabinet (via holes
27a, 27b in the bodies 15a and 15b), another L-bracket mounts to
the equipment side bracket (via holes 45a, 45b in flanges 25a, 25b,
or holes (not visible in FIGS. 1a and 1b) in flanges 35a, 35b), and
connecting hardware is used to mate the two L-brackets together
(via holes 40a, 40b). FIGS. 1c and 1d illustrate top planar views
of the rails 10a and 10b of FIGS. 1a and 1b respectively. FIGS. 1a
and 1b illustrate that sections 20a and 20b are "Added L Brackets"
and "Added Hardware" since prior to the systems of FIGS. 1a and 1b,
only a single L section was used in installations. The sections 20a
and 20b were later added by attaching the sections 20a and 20b to
the single L-sections 15a and 15b that were at the time being used
in such installations.
[0007] While the rails of FIGS. 1a and 1b allow for vertical
movement within the cabinet because of the plurality of holes 45a
and 45b in the flanges 25a and 25b, and allow for front to back
horizontal movement within the cabinet if the side bracket is an
adjustable bracket, such rails still do not permit much side to
side horizontal adjustment. To make a side to side adjustment, the
previously alluded to shims must be employed between the side
mounting brackets and the equipment that is installed into the
cabinet. Moreover, the hardware needed to couple two L-brackets
together adds to the complexity of the system, and is a source of
strain and weakness.
[0008] The art is therefore in need of an alternative system for
mounting computer and other electronic equipment into structurally
integrated and other enclosures.
SUMMARY OF AN EMBODIMENT
[0009] In an embodiment, a rail mounting system allows for full
three axis adjustment, thereby eliminating the need for shims or
multiple-pieced rails and brackets in the installation of computer
and other electronic equipment into structurally integrated
enclosures and other cabinets for such equipment.
[0010] In an embodiment, the three axis adjustment system permits
adjustment in a front to back, up and down, and side to side
manner. The side to side adjustment is made possible because the
side bracket includes bent ears with slots, and a rail on the
cabinet has a bent flange to match the bent ears of the side
bracket. Fasteners that connect the bent ears (via the slots) to
the rail (via the standard EIA hole pattern) are able to
horizontally slide through these slots. This structure permits
considerable side to side adjustments to accommodate variances in
the equipment mounted into the cabinet, and this adjustment can be
made automatically during the installation procedure, thereby
eliminating the need for shims for a standard commercial equipment
installation.
[0011] In an embodiment, the rail that the side bracket mounts to
is designed in a Z or C channel fashion that allows the bent ears
of the side mounting bracket to surface mount with the rail. In
this embodiment, the rails have the standard EIA rail hole
configuration so as to be able to be integrated into existing
equipment mounting designs that have ample space in the cabinet or
enclosure. This embodiment does not require changes to the front
mounting panels, or changes to commercially designed and custom
designed electronic equipment, that use the standard EIA hole
pattern.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0012] FIGS. 1a and 1b illustrate perspective views of prior art
rails for mounting equipment into a cabinet or structurally
integrated enclosure.
[0013] FIGS. 1c and 1d illustrate top planar views of the prior art
rails of FIGS. 1a and 1b respectively.
[0014] FIG. 2 illustrates a perspective view of an embodiment of a
mounting rail referred to as a Z rail.
[0015] FIG. 3 illustrates a perspective view of an embodiment of a
mounting rail referred to as a C rail.
[0016] FIG. 4 illustrates an embodiment of a rail mounting system
including Z rails and a side mounting bracket.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0017] In the following detailed description, reference is made to
the accompanying drawings that show, by way of illustration,
specific embodiments in which the invention may be practiced. These
embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable those
skilled in the art to practice the invention. It is to be
understood that the various embodiments of the invention, although
different, are not necessarily mutually exclusive. For example, a
particular feature, structure, or characteristic described herein
in connection with one embodiment may be implemented within other
embodiments without departing from the scope of the invention. In
addition, it is to be understood that the location or arrangement
of individual elements within each disclosed embodiment may be
modified without departing from the scope of the invention. The
following detailed description is, therefore, not to be taken in a
limiting sense, and the scope of the present invention is defined
only by the appended claims, appropriately interpreted, along with
the full range of equivalents to which the claims are entitled. In
the drawings, like numerals refer to the same or similar
functionality throughout the several views.
[0018] An embodiment of a rail for a mounting system for equipment,
and in particular electronic equipment, is illustrated in FIG. 2.
The embodiment of FIG. 2 illustrates a Z rail 200. The Z rail 200
has a body 210, a first flange 220, and a second flange 230. The
first and second flanges are connected to the body along
longitudinal edges 224 and 234. The rail 200 further has one or
more clearance holes 240 in the body 210. The flanges 220 and 230
have a plurality of holes 222 and 232 respectively along their
lengths. The holes 222 and 232 may be either threaded holes or
non-threaded through holes. In an embodiment, the holes 222 and 232
are mounted along the length of flanges 220 and 230 respectively in
a standard Electronics Industry Association (EIA) pattern. The rail
200 may be manufactured out of a plated steel, a stainless steel,
or any other durable material known in the art.
[0019] FIG. 3 illustrates another embodiment of a rail for a
mounting system. The embodiment of FIG. 3 illustrates a C rail 300.
The C rail 300 has a body 310, a first flange 320, and a second
flange 330. The first and second flanges are connected to the body
along longitudinal edges 324 and 334. The rail 300 further has one
or more clearance holes 340 in the body 310. The flanges 320 and
330 have a plurality of holes 322 and 332 respectively along their
lengths. The holes 322 and 332 may be either threaded holes or
non-threaded through holes. In an embodiment, the holes 322 and 332
are mounted along the length of flanges 320 and 330 respectively in
a standard EIA pattern. The rail 300 may be manufactured out of a
plated steel, a stainless steel, or any other durable material
known in the art.
[0020] The clearance holes 240 and 340 in a Z and C rail
respectively are for receiving fasteners for mounting the rails
200/300 on a Structured Integrated Enclosure (SIE) or other
enclosure or cabinet. After mounting onto an SIE, a bracket is
attached to the rail 200/300. FIG. 4 illustrates an example of such
a bracket 450 as it may be attached to a Z rail 200. The bracket
450 has a first section 455, and a second section 460. In an
embodiment, the first section 455 sets into the second section 460
as illustrated in FIG. 4. Studs 465, which sit in slots 480, hold
the two sections together. In the first section 455, the slots 480
that receive the studs 465 are longitudinal, allowing for section
455 to slide within section 460, thereby permitting the bracket 450
to be expanded and collapsed. The first section is connected to the
Z or C rail via fasteners 470, which protrude through slots in bent
ears 475 of section 455. The second section 460 is connected to the
Z or C rail with fasteners (not visible in FIG. 4) that are
inserted through slots 485 located within bent ears 475 of the side
bracket 450.
[0021] The embodiment of FIG. 4 permits three axis adjustment of
the equipment in the enclosure. Front to back adjustment is
permitted by the two piece side bracket 450. Section 455 of the
bracket slidably couples with section 460 of the bracket, via the
tracking of studs 465 in slots 480. Up and down adjustment is
permitted by the plurality of holes 232 in the rail 200, and the
slots 485 in the bent ears 475. The slots 485 further permit a side
to side adjustment.
[0022] In the foregoing detailed description of embodiments of the
invention, various features are grouped together in one or more
embodiments for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure. This
method of disclosure is not to be interpreted as reflecting an
intention that the claimed embodiments of the invention require
more features than are expressly recited in each claim. Rather, as
the following claims reflect, inventive subject matter lies in less
than all features of a single disclosed embodiment. Thus the
following claims are hereby incorporated into the detailed
description of embodiments of the invention, with each claim
standing on its own as a separate embodiment. It is understood that
the above description is intended to be illustrative, and not
restrictive. It is intended to cover all alternatives,
modifications and equivalents as may be included within the scope
of the invention as defined in the appended claims. Many other
embodiments will be apparent to those of skill in the art upon
reviewing the above description. The scope of the invention should,
therefore, be determined with reference to the appended claims,
along with the full scope of equivalents to which such claims are
entitled. In the appended claims, the terms "including" and "in
which" are used as the plain-English equivalents of the respective
terms "comprising" and "wherein," respectively. Moreover, the terms
"first," "second," and "third," etc., are used merely as labels,
and are not intended to impose numerical requirements on their
objects.
[0023] The abstract is provided to comply with 37 C.F.R. 1.72(b) to
allow a reader to quickly ascertain the nature and gist of the
technical disclosure. The Abstract is submitted with the
understanding that it will not be used to interpret or limit the
scope or meaning of the claims.
* * * * *