Abstract:
An ejector assembly is provided. The ejector assembly is detachably coupled to a circuit board to allow the circuit board to be locked in a chassis and separated from the chassis. The ejector assembly comprises a base portion and a locking portion. The base portion is rotatably coupled to the circuit board via a connector. The locking portion is capable of locking the circuit board into place when the ejector assembly is moved from a first position to a second position while the circuit board is in the chassis. In an alternative embodiment, the ejector assembly further comprises a holder to hold a number of cables.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to the field of circuit boards, and more particularly, to an ejector assembly. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Presently, circuit boards or blades that are made to be inserted into a chassis are difficult to insert and remove from the chassis. Current assemblies that allow the blades to lock into place within the chassis are not designed to allow a user easy handling of the blade. Many times, an ejector mechanism does not have any lever or handle that allows the user to grasp it and pull the blade out of the chassis. Thus, it is desirable to have an ejector assembly that allows for easy manipulation of the blade as well as locking the blade into place in the chassis. 
     In addition, each blade in a chassis generally has a number of cables connected to the front end of the blade. These cables tend to be cumbersome and unmanageable as the number of cables connected to the blades increase. Products exist that attempt to combat this problem. For example, there are products such as raceways that run vertically adjacent to the chassis and route the cables away from the blades and the chassis. In addition, raceways coupled adjacent to the blades and above the chassis also route the cables away from the blades. These raceways may serve to combat the problem of cumbersome cables hanging in front of the blades. However, it creates new problems when an individual blade must be removed from the chassis. In this case, it is difficult to discern which cables routed to the raceways are connected to which blades in the chassis. Then, the task of removing an individual blade is made very difficult. Thus, it is desirable to have an ejector assembly for each blade that holds the cables connected to that blade and allows for easy insertion and separation of the blade. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Accordingly, an ejector assembly is provided. The ejector assembly is detachably coupled to a circuit board to allow the circuit board to be locked into place in a chassis and separated from the chassis. The ejector assembly comprises a base portion and a locking portion. The base portion is rotatably coupled to the circuit board via a connector. The locking portion is capable of locking the circuit board into place when the ejector assembly is moved from a first position to a second position while the circuit board is in the chassis. In an alternative embodiment, the ejector assembly further comprises a holder to hold a number of cables. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The present invention is illustrated by way of example, and not imitation, in the figures of the accompanying drawings in which: 
     FIG. 1 illustrates a three dimensional view of circuit boards in a chassis; 
     FIG. 2 illustrates a front view of circuit boards in a chassis; 
     FIG. 3 illustrates a three dimensional view of one embodiment of two ejector assemblies coupled to a circuit board; 
     FIG. 4 illustrates an exploded view of an embodiment of an ejector assembly; 
     FIG. 5 illustrates a three dimensional view of an embodiment of an ejector assembly; 
     FIG. 6 illustrates a three dimensional view of an embodiment of an ejector assembly coupled to a circuit board; and 
     FIG. 7 illustrates a flow chart of an embodiment of a process of locking a circuit board into place in a chassis and separating the circuit board from the chassis comprising. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     An ejector assembly is disclosed. In the following detailed description of the present invention, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. However, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced without these specific details. In some instances, well-known structures and devices are shown in block diagram form, rather than in detail, in order to avoid obscuring the present invention. 
     FIG. 1 illustrates a three-dimensional view of circuit boards  120  in a chassis  110 . Each circuit board  120  is in the form of a blade that is inserted into the chassis  110 . A chassis can hold several blades. Also shown in FIG. 1 are the power supply units (PSUs)  130  in the chassis. FIG. 2 illustrates a front view of the circuit boards  220  in the chassis  210 . These circuit boards  220  are blades inserted into the chassis. In this figure, fan trays  240  and PSUs  230  are also shown. 
     FIG. 3 illustrates a three dimensional view of one embodiment of two ejector assemblies coupled to a circuit board  310 . The first ejector assembly  320  is coupled to a first front end  312  of the circuit board  310 . The second ejector assembly  330  is coupled to a second front end  314  of the circuit board  310 . In this embodiment, there are two ejector assemblies. Coupling two ejector assemblies to the circuit board facilitates in the insertion and removal of the circuit board from the chassis. In alternative embodiments, there may be only one ejector assembly coupled to the circuit board. 
     In the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, the ejector assemblies  320  and  330  are coupled to the circuit board  310  using a hinge assembly. A hinge assembly, as a connector, allows the ejector assemblies  320  and  330  to rotate relative to the circuit board  310 . After the circuit board  310  is inserted into the chassis, the ejector assemblies  320  and  330  are rotated so that the circuit board  310  is locked into place in the chassis. When the circuit board  310  is removed from the chassis, the ejector assemblies  320  and  330  are rotated again until the circuit board  310  is not locked in place and may be removed from the chassis. In alternative embodiments, the connector that couples the ejector assembly to the circuit board may be another mechanism or piece. In one alternative embodiment, the connector may be a screw that connects an extended base portion of the ejector assembly to a base of the circuit board such that the ejector assembly is able to rotate relative to the circuit board. 
     FIG. 4 illustrates an exploded view of an embodiment of an ejector assembly  400 . The ejector assembly  400  includes a base portion  410 , a first portion  420 , and a second portion  430 . The first portion  420  and the second portion  430  are attached to the base portion  410 . In this embodiment, the connector that couples the ejector assembly  400  to a circuit board is a hinge assembly  450 . The hinge assembly  450  is detachably coupled to the first portion  420 . The hinge assembly  450  allows the ejector assembly  400  to rotate relative to a circuit board. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, the first portion  420  includes an aperture in which a first fastener  422  is located. The first fastener  422  detachably couples a bridge piece  424  to the first portion  420  of the ejector assembly  400 . 
     In FIG. 4, the second portion includes a handle  434  to allow a user to pull the circuit board from the chassis. In alternative embodiments, this handle may not be included. A second fastener  432  is attached to the bridge piece  424  to allow the bridge piece  424  to be detachably coupled to the second portion  430  of the ejector assembly  400 . 
     In one embodiment, the bridge piece may be an elastomeric band. In an alternative embodiment, the bridge piece may be a rigid piece made of plastic. In another alternative embodiment, the bridge piece may be a flexible piece such as surgical tubing. 
     In one embodiment, the ejector assembly may be made of machined plastic. In an alternative embodiment, the ejector assembly may be made of machined metal. In another alternative embodiment, the ejector assembly may be made of plastic or metal die cast. The ejector assembly may also be made of ejection molded thermal plastic. 
     FIG. 5 illustrates a three dimensional view of an embodiment of an ejector assembly  500 . The ejector assembly  500  is similar to the ejector assembly  400  shown in FIG.  4 . However, in this figure, the elements of the ejector assembly  500  are shown as assembled. The ejector assembly  500  includes a base portion  510  and a first portion  520  and second portion  530  attached to the base portion  510 . A connector such as a hinge assembly  550  rotatably couples the ejector assembly  500  to a circuit board. 
     A locking portion  540  allows the ejector assembly  500  to lock the circuit board in place within a chassis. In FIG. 5, the locking portion  540  is a protruding portion that catches a wall of the chassis as the ejector assembly  500  is rotated. In this embodiment, the locking portion has a smaller length than the base portion. 
     In FIG. 5, the ejector assembly  500  also includes a bridge piece  524  coupled to a first fastener on one end and a second fastener  532  on the other end. The first fastener  522  is coupled to the first portion  520 , and the second fastener  532  is coupled to the second portion  530 . In the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, the second fastener  532  is a pivot clip that detachably couples to a handle  534  on the second portion. 
     FIG. 6 illustrates a three dimensional view of an embodiment of an ejector assembly to be coupled to a circuit board. In this embodiment, the ejector assembly  600  is shown to be coupled to a front end of the circuit board  660 , A hinge assembly  650  on the ejector assembly  600  couples the first portion  620  to the front end of the circuit board  660 . A number of cables  670  are routed toward the ejector assembly  600  and held by the ejector assembly  600  between a base portion  610  and a bridge piece  624 . The bridge piece is coupled to the first portion  620  via a first fastener on one end and coupled to the second portion  630  via a second fastener  632  on the other end. The second fastener  632  is shown to be a pivot clip in the embodiment shown in FIG.  6 . The second portion here includes a handle  634  that allows a user to pull a circuit board out of a chassis more easily. 
     FIG. 7 illustrates a flow chart of an embodiment of a process  700  of locking a circuit board into place in a chassis and separating the circuit board from the chassis. In step  710 , the circuit board is inserted into a chassis. In step  720 , the ejector assembly rotatably coupled to the circuit board is rotated relative to the circuit board to cause the circuit board to lock into a fixed position in the chassis. After the circuit board is locked in place, cables connected to the front end of the circuit board are routed to the ejector assembly. The ejector assembly holds the cables between a base portion of the ejector assembly and a bridge piece coupled to the ejector assembly. This occurs in steps  730  and  740 . In step  750 , the cables are disengaged from the ejector assembly  750 . In one embodiment, the bridge piece is detached from a second portion of the ejector assembly by undoing a second fastener that connects the bridge piece to the ejector assembly. In steps  760  and  770 , the ejector assembly is rotated to cause the circuit board to unlock from the fixed position in the chassis, and the circuit board is separated from the chassis. 
     Thus, an ejector assembly is disclosed. Although the present invention is described herein with reference to specific embodiments, many modifications and variations therein will readily occur to those with ordinary skill in the art. Accordingly, all such variations and modifications are included within the intended scope of the present invention as defined by the following claims.