Mounting system for equipment enclosures
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.
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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.
TECHNICAL FIELDVarious 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.
BACKGROUNDComputer 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.
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.
Equipment that is installed into a cabinet mounts to a side bracket. In such installations, as demonstrated in
While the rails of
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 EMBODIMENTIn 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.
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.
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
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.
An embodiment of a rail for a mounting system for equipment, and in particular electronic equipment, is illustrated in
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.
The embodiment of
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.
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.
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.
Type: Application
Filed: Nov 23, 2005
Publication Date: May 24, 2007
Applicant: Lockheed Martin Corporation (Bethesda, MD)
Inventors: Barry Wake (Front Royal, VA), James Viar (Manassas, VA)
Application Number: 11/285,477
International Classification: A47F 7/00 (20060101);