Supports: racks – Special article – Platelike
Reexamination Certificate
2000-10-10
2002-06-04
Chin-Shue, Alvin (Department: 3634)
Supports: racks
Special article
Platelike
Reexamination Certificate
active
06398042
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a substrate mounting apparatus for mounting a substrate on which electronic parts are provided, and to a substrate mounting apparatus capable of surely supporting a substrate even if an electronic circuit unit frame for accommodating the substrate is deflected by the weight of the substrate, for example.
FIG. 14
is a sectional side view showing a part of a conventional substrate mounting apparatus disclosed in the Unexamined Japanese Patent Application Publication No. Hei 11-238981, for example. In
FIG. 14
, the reference numeral
20
denotes a removable substrate which is plate-shaped, is provided with a printed wiring (not shown) and has a plurality of electronic parts (not shown) mounted thereon. The reference numeral
21
denotes an electronic circuit unit frame (which will be hereinafter referred to as a shelf) for accommodating the substrate
20
in a predetermined mounting position, in which the substrate
20
is inserted in an insertion direction A through a substrate insertion port on the left side in the drawing. The reference numeral
22
denotes a spring having one of ends fixed to a groove portion
21
a
provided on the upper face portion side of the shelf
21
.
The reference numeral
23
denotes an upper guide rail having an upper guide groove
23
a
fixed to an internal side wall on the upper face portion side of the shelf
21
and opened on the lower side. The upper guide groove
23
a
is formed by a groove bottom portion
23
b
and groove side walls
23
c
and
2
d.
The groove bottom portion
23
b
is supported vertically movably through the groove side walls
23
c
and
23
d
and is fixed to the other end of the spring
22
. The reference numeral
24
is a lower guide rail which has a lower guide groove
24
a
opened on the upper side and is fixed to a bottom face portion of the shelf
21
. The reference numeral
24
b
denotes a dent portion provided on a bottom face of the lower guide groove
24
a,
and the reference numeral
24
c
denotes a projection provided on the bottom face of the lower guide groove
24
a.
The reference numeral
25
denotes a backboard substrate to be a connecting portion to which the substrate
20
is connected. When the substrate
20
is accommodated in the shelf
21
, a connector
25
a
and a connector
20
a
of the substrate
20
are connected to each other.
Next, an operation will be described with reference to the drawings. When the substrate
20
is to be mounted, upper and lower side edge portions of the substrate
20
are inserted into the upper and lower guide grooves
23
a
and
24
a
respectively so that the substrate
20
is moved toward the mounting direction A side. At this time, the projection
24
c
of the lower guide rail
24
abuts on a lower end of the substrate
20
, and the bottom face of the lower guide groove
24
a
of the lower guide rail
24
abuts on the projection
20
b
of the substrate
20
. Consequently, in the state in which the substrate
20
is shifted more upward as compared with the time that the insertion is completed, only the groove bottom portion
23
b
of the upper guide rail
23
is pushed upward against the force of the spring
22
energizing the spring force in an extension direction.
When the substrate
20
is further slid in the insertion direction A in this state, the projection
20
b
of the substrate
20
is fitted in the dent portion
24
b
and the projection
24
c
is fitted in the dent portion
20
c
of the substrate
20
. At the same time, the connector
25
a
is connected to the connector
20
a
of the substrate
20
. Thus, the substrate
20
is completely mounted. When the mounting operation is completed, the upper and lower positions of the bottom portion
23
b
of the upper guide groove
23
a
are placed in lower parts as compared with the middle of the insertion of the substrate
20
. Also in that state, the spring
22
energizes the bottom portion
23
b
downward by some force.
Thus, the dent
20
b
and the projection
20
c
of the substrate
20
are fitted in the dent
24
b
and the projection
24
c
of the lower guide rail portion
24
respectively, and the spring
22
energizes the substrate
20
downward through the bottom portion
23
b.
Therefore, the substrate
20
is supported by the upper guide rail portion
23
and the lower guide rail portion
24
. Accordingly, even if a vibration is applied from the outside, it is possible to prevent the substrate
20
from being moved toward the discharge direction B side and slipping down.
Since the conventional substrate mounting apparatus has the above-mentioned structure, the substrate
20
can be prevented from moving toward the discharge direction B side but cannot fully be prevented from falling down in a lateral direction. More specifically, when a plurality of substrates
20
are mounted on the shelf
21
, the bottom portion side of the shelf
21
is deflected downward by the weight of the substrates
20
as shown in FIG.
15
. In some cases in which the substrate mounting apparatus is to be installed in a higher position (not shown) or an adjusting work is to be carried out, some of the substrates
20
are supported on the upper and lower guide rails
23
and
24
and the connector
20
a
is not connected to the connector
25
a.
In such a state, structural reinforcement by the connection between the connectors is reduced so that the amount of deflection is increased. If the amount of deflection is greater than the heights of the side walls
23
b
and
23
c
of the upper guide groove
23
a,
the substrate
20
gets out of the upper guide groove
23
a
of the upper guide rail
23
and falls down in the lateral direction. There is a problem in that electronic parts provided on the falling substrate
20
or electronic parts provided on the adjacent substrates
20
are damaged.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problem and has an object to provide a substrate mounting apparatus in which mounted substrates neither fall down nor slip down and are not damaged even if the number of substrates to be mounted on a shelf is increased and the amount of deflection of a bottom plate of the shelf becomes larger.
In order to eliminate the above-mentioned drawbacks, the present invention provides a substrate mounting apparatus comprising an electronic circuit unit frame for accommodating a removable substrate provided with electronic parts in a predetermined mounting position, an upper guide rail having an upper guide groove provided from a substrate insertion port of the electronic circuit unit frame to the vicinity of the mounting position and supported vertically movably on an upper face portion of the electronic circuit unit frame, a lower guide rail having a lower guide groove portion provided from the substrate insertion port to the vicinity of the mounting position and fixed to a bottom face portion of the electronic circuit unit frame with a predetermined space formed together with the upper guide rail, and space holding means formed integrally with the upper and lower guide rails for holding the predetermined space.
In the substrate mounting apparatus according to the present invention, moreover, the space holding means is a bar-shaped member formed integrally with the upper and lower guide rails on respective rear ends of the upper and lower guide rails on an insertion terminating side of the substrate.
In the substrate mounting apparatus according to the present invention, furthermore, the upper guide groove of the upper guide rail is opened on a substrate insertion port side of the electronic circuit unit frame and a lower side, the lower guide groove of the lower guide rail is opened on the substrate insertion port side and an upper side and the upper and lower guide grooves are provided with a slant portion such that the substrate insertion port side is widened.
The present invention provides a substrate mounting apparatus comprising an electronic circuit unit frame for accommodating a removable substrate
Chin-Shue Alvin
Mitsubishi Denki & Kabushiki Kaisha
Oblon & Spivak, McClelland, Maier & Neustadt P.C.
Purol Sarah
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