TWI911061B - Fixing frame and motherboard assembly - Google Patents

Abstract

A motherboard assembly for supporting a circuit board comprises a motherboard and a fixing frame. The motherboard includes a substrate and an electrical connector, wherein the electrical connector is disposed on the substrate and configured for the insertion of the circuit board. The fixing frame includes at least one limiting frame. The limiting frame comprises a base portion and an elastic limiting portion. The base portion is disposed on the substrate and located at one side of the electrical connector. The elastic limiting portion is movably erected on the base portion. The elastic limiting portion includes a limiting structure configured to contact one side of the circuit board located farther away from the electrical connector. The elastic limiting portion further includes a limiting slot, the limiting slot is located closer to the base portion than the limiting structure and extends to the base portion. The limiting slot is configured to limit the circuit board.

Description

Mounting bracket and motherboard assembly

This invention relates to a mounting bracket and motherboard assembly.

In current servers, to allow more circuitry or electronic components to be placed on the motherboard, expansion boards are often vertically mounted, provided the server's height allows. However, during transport or testing, expansion boards are easily shaken by external forces, causing them to become improperly connected to the motherboard's electrical connectors, or even detach from them. In light of this, researchers in this field are working to solve the aforementioned problems.

The present invention provides a mounting bracket and motherboard assembly that ensures that the vertical expansion board can be properly connected to the electrical connector of the motherboard even when subjected to external force.

An embodiment of the present invention discloses a motherboard assembly for supporting a circuit board, comprising a motherboard and a mounting bracket. The motherboard includes a substrate and an electrical connector, the electrical connector being disposed on the substrate and used for insertion of the circuit board. The mounting bracket includes at least one limiting bracket. The limiting bracket includes a base and a flexible limiting portion. The base is disposed on the substrate and located on one side of the electrical connector. The flexible limiting portion is movably erected on the base. The flexible limiting portion includes a stop structure for preventing the circuit board from moving away from the side of the electrical connector. The flexible limiting portion further includes a limiting groove, the limiting groove being closer to and extending towards the base than the stop structure, the limiting groove being used to limit the circuit board.

Another embodiment of the present invention discloses a mounting bracket for securing a circuit board to an electrical connector plugged into a motherboard. The mounting bracket includes at least one limiting bracket. The limiting bracket includes a base and a flexible limiting portion. The base is disposed on a substrate of the motherboard and located on one side of the electrical connector. The flexible limiting portion is movably erected on the base. The flexible limiting portion includes a stop structure to prevent the circuit board from moving away from the electrical connector. The flexible limiting portion further includes a limiting groove, which is closer to and extends toward the base than the stop structure, and is used to limit the circuit board.

According to the fixed bracket and motherboard assembly disclosed in the above embodiments, the base of the limiting bracket is disposed on the substrate and located on one side of the electrical connector. The elastic limiting part of the limiting bracket can be movably erected on the base, and the stop structure of the elastic limiting part is used to stop the circuit board from moving away from the electrical connector. This allows the fixed bracket to be fixedly and vertically inserted into the circuit board of the motherboard, so as to ensure that the vertical circuit board can still be properly inserted into the electrical connector of the motherboard even if it is subjected to external force.

The above description of the contents of this invention and the following description of the embodiments are used to demonstrate and explain the principles of this invention, and to provide a further explanation of the scope of the patent application of this invention.

Please refer to Figure 1. Figure 1 is a perspective view of the motherboard assembly 1 and circuit board 2 disclosed in one embodiment of the present invention.

A motherboard assembly 1 supports a circuit board 2, wherein the circuit board 2 is, for example, but not limited to, a PCIe expansion card. The motherboard assembly 1 includes a motherboard 10 and a mounting bracket 20. The motherboard 10 includes a base plate 11 and an electrical connector 12, the electrical connector 12 being disposed on the base plate 11 and used for insertion of the circuit board 2. The mounting bracket 20 includes at least one limiting bracket 21. The limiting bracket 21 includes a base 211 and a flexible limiting portion 212. The base 211 is disposed on the base plate 11 and located on one side of the electrical connector 12. The flexible limiting portion 212 is movably erected on the base 211. The elastic limiting part 212 includes a stop structure 2121, and the stop structure 2121 is used to stop the circuit board 2 from one side of the electrical connector 12.

Next, please refer to Figures 2 and 3. Figure 2 is an exploded view of the motherboard assembly 1 in Figure 1 from one angle. Figure 3 is an exploded view of the motherboard assembly 1 in Figure 1 from another angle.

In one embodiment, the retaining bracket 21 is, for example, a single-piece molded part, and is, for example, made of plastic. In one embodiment, there are two retaining brackets 21, with the base 211 of one retaining bracket 21 and the base 211 of the other retaining bracket 21 located on opposite sides of the electrical connector 12. The two retaining brackets 21 have the same structure, so the following paragraphs will only describe the structure of one retaining bracket 21 in detail.

In one embodiment, the substrate 11 includes, for example, two first positioning structures 111 and two locking holes 112. The two first positioning structures 111 are, for example, positioning holes, and are respectively located on opposite sides of the electrical connector 12. The two locking holes 112 are also respectively located on opposite sides of the electrical connector 12, and are respectively located next to the two first positioning structures 111.

In one embodiment, the base 211 of the limiting frame 21 includes, for example, a second positioning structure 2111 and a through hole 2112, wherein the second positioning structure 2111 is, for example, a positioning post. The second positioning structures 2111 of the bases 211 of the two limiting frames 21 are respectively matched with the two first positioning structures 111 of the substrate 11. The two through holes 2112 are respectively aligned with the two locking holes 112 of the substrate 11.

In one embodiment, the motherboard assembly 1 may also include two locking fasteners 30. The two locking fasteners 30 pass through two through holes 2112 and are locked to the two locking holes 112, thereby fixing the two limiting brackets 21 to the base plate 11 of the motherboard 10.

In the above embodiment, the combination of the two first positioning structures 111 and the two second positioning structures 2111 can help position the two limiting frames 21 on the substrate 11 of the motherboard 10 before the two locking fasteners 30 fix the two limiting frames 21 to the substrate 11 of the motherboard 10, so that the through holes 2112 of the base 211 of the two limiting frames 21 are respectively aligned with the two locking holes 112 of the substrate 11 of the motherboard 10.

It should be noted that the two first positioning structures 111 and the two second positioning structures 2111 are optional structures and can be omitted. Furthermore, the locking holes 112 of the substrate 11, the through holes 2112 of the bases 211 of the two limiting frames 21 and the locking fasteners 30 are optional structures and components and can be omitted. The two limiting frames 21 can be fixed to the substrate 11 of the motherboard 10 in other ways, such as by soldering or bonding.

In one embodiment, the limiting frame 21 may further include a fixing part 213 connected to the base 211, and an elastic limiting part 212 for detachably locking to the fixing part 213. In one embodiment, the elastic limiting part 212 includes a tilting section 2122, a vertical section 2123 and a horizontal section 2124 connected in sequence, the tilting section 2122 connected to the base 211, the stop structure 2121 located in the vertical section 2123, and the horizontal section 2124 for detachably locking to the fixing part 213. In one embodiment, the horizontal segment 2124 of the elastic limiting part 212 includes a locking structure E, and the fixing part 213 includes a slot S. The locking structure E is used to be detachably locked into the slot S of the fixing part 213.

Next, please refer to Figure 4, which is a side view of the limiting frame 21 of Figure 1. In one embodiment, the vertical section 2123 of the elastic limiting portion 212 of the limiting frame 21 includes a limiting groove P. The limiting groove P is closer to and extends toward the base 211 of the limiting frame 21 than the stop structure 2121, and is used to limit the circuit board 2. In one embodiment, the limiting groove P includes at least one wide segment P1 and one narrow segment P2 connected together, the width D1 of the wide segment P1 being greater than the width D2 of the narrow segment P2. In one embodiment, the limiting groove P has two wide segments P1, and the narrow segment P2 is located between the two wide segments P1.

Next, the process of assembling circuit board 2 onto motherboard assembly 1 will be described below. Figures 5 and 6 illustrate the process of assembling circuit board 2 onto motherboard assembly 1.

First, as shown in Figure 5, the elastic limiting parts 212 of the two limiting brackets 21 are released. At this time, the two elastic limiting parts 212 are elastically deformed, and the locking structures E of the horizontal segments 2124 of the two elastic limiting parts 212 are respectively locked into the slots S of the two fixing parts 213. Then, the circuit board 2 is vertically inserted into the electrical connector 12 of the motherboard 10.

Next, as shown in Figure 6, the locking structures E of the horizontal segments 2124 of the two elastic limiting parts 212 are respectively released from the slots S of the two fixing parts 213, so that the two elastic limiting parts 212 spring back and move from the released position to the stop position. At this time, the stop structure 2121 of the two elastic limiting parts 212 stops the circuit board 2 from the two opposite corners on the side away from the electrical connector 12. In this way, the assembly of the circuit board 2 onto the motherboard assembly 1 is completed.

In the above embodiment, the base 211 of at least one limiting bracket 21 is disposed on the substrate 11 and located on one side of the electrical connector 12. The elastic limiting part 212 of the limiting bracket 21 can be movably erected on the base 211, and the stop structure 2121 of the elastic limiting part 212 is used to stop the circuit board 2 from the side away from the electrical connector 12. This allows the fixed bracket 20 to be fixedly and vertically inserted into the circuit board 2 of the motherboard 10, so as to ensure that the vertical circuit board 2 can still be properly inserted into the electrical connector 12 of the motherboard 10 even if it is subjected to external force.

In the above embodiment, by having the bases 211 of the two limit brackets 21 located on opposite sides of the electrical connector 12, and by having the stop structure 2121 of the two elastic limit portions 212 stop the circuit board 2 at opposite corners on the side away from the electrical connector 12, the fixed bracket 20 can be more securely fixed to the circuit board 2 that is vertically inserted into the motherboard 10.

It should be noted that the number of limit brackets 21 is not limited to two. If one limit bracket 21 is sufficient to stabilize the circuit board 2, the number of limit brackets 21 can be adjusted to one.

In the above embodiment, the circuit board 2 can be limited by the narrow section P2 of the limiting groove P of the two limiting frames 21 to prevent the circuit board 2 from shaking.

It should be noted that the limiting groove P of the second limiting frame 21 is an optional structure and can be omitted in other embodiments.

When it is necessary to separate the circuit board 2 from the motherboard 10, the elastic limiting parts 212 of the two limiting brackets 21 are in the released position (as shown in Figure 5), so that the stop structure 2121 of the two elastic limiting parts 212 is separated from the side of the circuit board 2 away from the electrical connector 12. At this time, the circuit board 2 is not stopped by the stop structure 2121 and can be directly separated from the electrical connector 12.

It should be noted that the fixing part 213 of the limit bracket 21 is an optional structure and can be omitted in other embodiments. Correspondingly, the locking structure E of the elastic limit part 212 of the limit bracket 21 can be omitted. Thus, when disassembling or assembling the circuit board 2, the elastic limit part 212 of the limit bracket 21 must be held in the released position by hand.

Furthermore, the structure of the elastic limiting part 212 of the aforementioned limiting frame 21 is merely exemplary and can be adjusted as needed.

According to the fixed bracket and motherboard assembly disclosed in the above embodiments, the base of the limiting bracket is disposed on the substrate and located on one side of the electrical connector. The elastic limiting part of the limiting bracket can be movably erected on the base, and the stop structure of the elastic limiting part is used to stop the circuit board from moving away from the electrical connector. This allows the fixed bracket to be fixedly and vertically inserted into the circuit board of the motherboard, so as to ensure that the vertical circuit board can still be properly inserted into the electrical connector of the motherboard even if it is subjected to external force.

In one embodiment of this disclosure, the mounting bracket and motherboard assembly disclosed herein can be installed in a server, which can be used for artificial intelligence (AI) computing, edge computing, or as a 5G server, cloud server, or vehicle-to-everything (V2X) server.

Although the present invention has been disclosed above with reference to the preferred embodiments described above, it is not intended to limit the present invention. Anyone skilled in the art may make some modifications and refinements without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of patent protection of the present invention shall be determined by the scope of the patent application attached to this specification.

1: Motherboard assembly 2: Circuit board 10: Motherboard 11: Baseboard 111: First positioning structure 112: Locking hole 12: Electrical connector 20: Fixing bracket 21: Limiting bracket 211: Base 2111: Second positioning structure 2112: Through hole 212: Elastic limiting part 2121: Stopping structure 2122: Inclined section 2123: Vertical section 2124: Horizontal section 213: Fixing part 30: Locking fastener E: Locking structure S: Locking slot P: Limiting slot P1: Wide section P2: Narrow section D1,D2: Width

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the motherboard assembly and circuit board disclosed in one embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 is an exploded view of one angle of the motherboard assembly of Figure 1. Figure 3 is an exploded view of another angle of the motherboard assembly of Figure 1. Figure 4 is a side view of the limiting bracket of Figure 1. Figures 5 and 6 illustrate the process of assembling the circuit board into the motherboard assembly.

1: Motherboard Components

2: Circuit Board

10: Motherboard

11:Substrate

12: Electrical Connectors

20: Fixed bracket

21: Limiting bracket

211: Base

212: Elastic limiting part

2121: Stop structure

213: Fixing Part

Claims (7)

A motherboard assembly for supporting a circuit board includes: a motherboard comprising a substrate and an electrical connector, the electrical connector being disposed on the substrate and used for the circuit board to be inserted; and a mounting bracket comprising: at least one limiting bracket comprising: a base disposed on the substrate and located on one side of the electrical connector; an elastic limiting portion movably erected on the base, the elastic limiting portion including a stop structure for preventing the circuit board from moving away from the side of the electrical connector; and a fixing portion connected to the base, the elastic limiting portion being detachably secured to the fixing portion; wherein the elastic limiting portion... The elastic limiting portion further includes a limiting groove, which is closer to and extends toward the base than the stop structure, and the limiting groove is used to limit the circuit board; wherein the elastic limiting portion is movable between a stop position and a release position; when the elastic limiting portion is in the stop position, the elastic limiting portion is separated from the fixing portion, and the stop structure of the elastic limiting portion is used to prevent the circuit board from moving away from the electrical connector; when the elastic limiting portion is in the release position, the elastic limiting portion is locked to the fixing portion, and the stop structure of the elastic limiting portion is separated from the side of the circuit board away from the electrical connector. The motherboard assembly as described in claim 1, wherein the elastic limiting portion includes a tilting section, a vertical section and a horizontal section connected in sequence, the tilting section being connected to the base, the stop structure being located in the vertical section, and the horizontal section being used to detachably lock into the fixing portion. The motherboard assembly as described in claim 2, wherein the horizontal segment of the elastic limiting portion includes a locking structure, and the fixing portion includes a slot, the locking structure being detachably locked into the slot of the fixing portion. The motherboard assembly as described in claim 1, wherein the limiting groove includes at least one connected wide segment and a narrow segment, the width of the wide segment being greater than the width of the narrow segment. The motherboard assembly as described in claim 1, wherein the number of the at least one retainer is two, and the base of one of the two retainers and the base of the other of the two retainers are respectively located on opposite sides of the electrical connector. The motherboard assembly as described in claim 1 further includes at least one locking fastener, the substrate including a first positioning structure and a locking hole, the base including a second positioning structure and a through hole, the second positioning structure matching the first positioning structure, the through hole aligned with the locking hole, and the locking fastener passing through the through hole and locked to the locking hole. A mounting bracket for securing a circuit board to an electrical connector plugged into a motherboard, the mounting bracket comprising: at least one limiting bracket, including: a base for being disposed on a substrate of the motherboard and located on one side of the electrical connector; an elastic limiting portion movably erected on the base, the elastic limiting portion including a stop structure for preventing the circuit board from moving away from the side of the electrical connector; and a fixing portion connected to the base, the elastic limiting portion being detachably secured to the fixing portion; wherein the elastic limiting portion further includes a limiting groove. The limiting groove is closer to the base and extends toward the base than the stop structure, and the limiting groove is used to limit the circuit board; wherein the elastic limiting part can move between a stop position and a release position; when the elastic limiting part is in the stop position, the elastic limiting part is separated from the fixing part, and the stop structure of the elastic limiting part is used to prevent the circuit board from moving away from the electrical connector; when the elastic limiting part is in the release position, the elastic limiting part is locked to the fixing part, and the stop structure of the elastic limiting part is separated from the side of the circuit board away from the electrical connector.