US-12621949-B2 - Systems and methods for assembling daughter card to host card

US12621949B2US 12621949 B2US12621949 B2US 12621949B2US-12621949-B2

Abstract

An information handling system may include a motherboard and an information handling resource mechanically and electrically coupled to the motherboard. The information handling resource may include a circuit board, a connector mounted to a surface of the circuit board and configured to electrically couple to a corresponding connector mounted to a surface of a second circuit board of a second information handling resource, a first standoff extending from a surface of the circuit board, and a second standoff extending from the surface and arranged relative to the first standoff such that the first standoff and the second standoff are configured to mechanically engage with engagement features of the second information handling resource to define an axis of pivot between the circuit board and the second circuit board to align the connector to the corresponding connector.

Inventors

Robert G. Bassman
Gabriel J. BRAUN
Eduardo Escamilla
Michael Lo
Jeffrey Patti
James Utz
Yenlin WANG

Assignees

DELL PRODUCTS L.P.

Dates

Publication Date: 20260505
Application Date: 20240112

Claims (13)

1 . An information handling system comprising: a motherboard; and an information handling resource mechanically and electrically coupled to the motherboard and comprising: a circuit board; a connector mounted to a surface of the circuit board and configured to electrically couple to a corresponding connector mounted to a surface of a second circuit board of a second information handling resource; a first standoff extending from a surface of the circuit board; and a second standoff extending from the surface and arranged relative to the first standoff such that the first standoff and the second standoff are configured to mechanically engage with engagement features of the second information handling resource to define an axis of pivot between the circuit board and the second circuit board to align the connector to the corresponding connector.
2 . The information handling system of claim 1 , the information handling resource further comprising a threaded insert configured to mechanically couple to a captive screw maintained within the second circuit board.
3 . The information handling system of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the first standoff and the second standoff comprises: a shaft extending from the surface of the circuit board; a head coupled to the end of the shaft; and a barrel formed around a portion of the shaft, such that the shaft includes an engagement region on a surface of the shaft located between the head and the barrel and configured to mechanically engage with an engagement feature of the second information handling resource to define the axis of pivot.
4 . The information handling system of claim 3 , wherein: the shaft is cylindrical; the head is circular and concentric with the shaft; and the barrel is concentric with and has a diameter greater than the shaft.
5 . The information handling system of claim 4 , wherein an axis of the shaft is substantially perpendicular with the surface of the circuit board.
6 . An information handling resource comprising: a circuit board; a connector mounted to a surface of the circuit board and configured to electrically couple to a corresponding connector mounted to a surface of a second circuit board of a second information handling resource; a first standoff extending from a surface of the circuit board; and a second standoff extending from the surface and arranged relative to the first standoff such that the first standoff and the second standoff are configured to mechanically engage with engagement features of the second information handling resource to define an axis of pivot between the circuit board and the second circuit board to align the connector to the corresponding connector.
7 . The information handling system of claim 6 , the information handling resource further comprising a threaded insert configured to mechanically couple to a captive screw maintained within the second circuit board.
8 . The information handling system of claim 6 , wherein at least one of the first standoff and the second standoff comprises: a shaft extending from the surface of the circuit board; a head coupled to the end of the shaft; and a barrel formed around a portion of the shaft, such that the shaft includes an engagement region on a surface of the shaft located between the head and the barrel and configured to mechanically engage with an engagement feature of the second information handling resource to define the axis of pivot.
9 . The information handling system of claim 8 , wherein: the shaft is cylindrical; the head is circular and concentric with the shaft; and the barrel is concentric with and has a diameter greater than the shaft.
10 . The information handling system of claim 9 , wherein an axis of the shaft is substantially perpendicular with the surface of the circuit board.
11 . An information handling resource comprising: a circuit board; a connector mounted to a surface of the circuit board and configured to electrically couple to a corresponding connector mounted to a surface of a second circuit board of a second information handling resource; a first standoff engagement feature formed in an edge of the circuit board; and a second standoff engagement feature formed in the edge of the circuit board such that the first standoff engagement feature and the second standoff engagement feature are configured to mechanically engage respectively to a first standoff and a second standoff extending from a surface of the second circuit board to define an axis of pivot between the circuit board and the second circuit board to align the connector to the corresponding connector.
12 . The information handling resource of claim 11 , the information handling resource further comprising a captive screw maintained within the circuit board configured to mechanically couple to a threaded insert of the second information handling resource.
13 . The information handling resource of claim 12 , the captive screw located proximate to a second edge of the circuit board opposite from the edge.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present disclosure relates in general to information handling systems, and more particularly to systems and methods for assembling a daughter card to a host card for an information handling system. BACKGROUND As the value and use of information continues to increase, individuals and businesses seek additional ways to process and store information. One option available to users is information handling systems. An information handling system generally processes, compiles, stores, and/or communicates information or data for business, personal, or other purposes thereby allowing users to take advantage of the value of the information. Because technology and information handling needs and requirements vary between different users or applications, information handling systems may also vary regarding what information is handled, how the information is handled, how much information is processed, stored, or communicated, and how quickly and efficiently the information may be processed, stored, or communicated. The variations in information handling systems allow for information handling systems to be general or configured for a specific user or specific use such as financial transaction processing, airline reservations, enterprise data storage, or global communications. In addition, information handling systems may include a variety of hardware and software components that may be configured to process, store, and communicate information and may include one or more computer systems, data storage systems, and networking systems. Many information handling systems utilize a variety of circuit boards to implement their functionality. For example, a motherboard, the main circuit board of an information handling system, may have a circuit board referred to as a host card electrically and mechanically coupled to the motherboard. The host card may in turn have another circuit board referred to as a daughter card electrically and mechanically coupled to the host card. Accordingly, the host card may include a connector for electrically coupling to a corresponding connector of the motherboard, and may include another connector for electrically coupling to a corresponding connector of the daughter card. In some instances, a daughter card may comprise an “attic card” configured to be oriented in parallel with the host card when the two are coupled together. Thus, in such instances, each of the host card and attic card may have connectors mounted to the surfaces thereof for electrically coupling to one another, wherein in some embodiments, the connectors are blindly mated to one another. Existing approaches for mechanically coupling an attic card to a host card have included the use of a plurality of (e.g., four) fixed screws threaded through the host card and the attic card and/or plastic push pins snaps. Such approaches may have numerous disadvantages, included difficulty of assembly and disassembly and difficulty in alignment of connectors to one another. SUMMARY In accordance with the teachings of the present disclosure, the disadvantages and problems associated with existing approaches to mechanically and electrically coupling a host card to a daughter card may be reduced or eliminated. In accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure, an information handling system may include a motherboard and an information handling resource mechanically and electrically coupled to the motherboard. The information handling resource may include a circuit board, a connector mounted to a surface of the circuit board and configured to electrically couple to a corresponding connector mounted to a surface of a second circuit board of a second information handling resource, a first standoff extending from a surface of the circuit board, and a second standoff extending from the surface and arranged relative to the first standoff such that the first standoff and the second standoff are configured to mechanically engage with engagement features of the second information handling resource to define an axis of pivot between the circuit board and the second circuit board to align the connector to the corresponding connector. In accordance with these and other embodiments of the present disclosure, an information handling resource may include a circuit board, a connector mounted to a surface of the circuit board and configured to electrically couple to a corresponding connector mounted to a surface of a second circuit board of a second information handling resource, a first standoff extending from a surface of the circuit board, and a second standoff extending from the surface and arranged relative to the first standoff such that the first standoff and the second standoff are configured to mechanically engage with engagement features of the second information handling resource to define an axis of pivot between the circuit board and the second circuit board to align the connector to the corresponding connector. In accordance