Oracle International Corporation

Rebecca Di Ricco Kurzava

Eric Munro Innes

Andres Gabriel Hofmann

Gabrielle Kariann Stetor

A guide assembly an enclosure-based device such as a computer provided in a rack-mountable chassis. The guide assembly is configured to facilitate blind connector mating such as electrical interconnection between a receiving connector on a previously-mounted board and an edge connector on a circuit board supported in a housing of a module that is slid or inserted into the interior space of the enclosure or chassis. The guide assembly (and devices that include a guide assembly) address the two design challenges discussed above of increasing numbers of circuits in devices that need to be connected and of decreasing pitch between the connectors. The guide assembly is configured, with its mechanical features, to decouple the degrees of freedom (DOFs) between the module being inserted into the chassis and the receiving/mating connector on the previously-mounted board. The guide assembly constrains five out of the six DOFs, which effectively ensures proper connector mating.

Guide assembly for proper electrical blind mating of a module in an enclosure

A mounting assembly for accurately positioning, attaching, and supporting a circuit board such as a midplane board within a chassis. The assembly's design facilitates an improved assembly method that includes fastening the board to the chassis so to provide reliable connector mate and rapid assembly. The mounting assembly includes a clamp member) and a spring assembly that act in combination to secure a circuit board onto datum features provided on a chassis and/or its modified and/or lightweight alignment bulkhead, which is part of the new assembly. The new assembly design enables a tight tolerance loop between mating components while also providing a more consistent connector engagement when compared with many prior device designs. In some embodiments, a single fastener (e.g., a nut) is used to attach the clamped and captured circuit board to the chassis. The board is 'captured' as it is sandwiched between the modified bulkhead and the clamp.

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San Diego, CA, United States of America

Rebecca Di Ricco Kurzava