Cabinet assembly and shelf with pitch-defined compatibility for plug-in units
This disclosure is directed to a fool-proof structure having a shelf and a plug-in unit. The shelf is defined with a socket and an opening, and a stopping portion and an actuating portion are provided on the socket, and the actuating portion and the stopping portion are respectively communicated to the opening. The plug-in unit has an elastic arm. A stopping wall and an actuating slope of the elastic arm protrude from the plug-in unit. A first pitch is defined from the actuating portion to the stop portion, and a second pitch is defined from the actuating slope to the stopping wall. The first pitch may be configured to be greater than the second pitch, so that the actuating portion may push the actuating slope to deflect the elastic arm before the stopping wall arrives the stop part when the plug-in unit is inserted into the socket.
1 . A cabinet assembly, comprising:
a cabinet;
a shelf disposed in the cabinet and comprising a socket defining an opening;
a stopping portion and an actuating portion arranged on an internal surface of the socket and respectively communicated with the opening; and
a first plug-in unit and a second plug-in unit each configured to be inserted into the socket along a plug-in direction from the opening toward an interior of the socket,
wherein each of the first plug-in unit and the second plug-in unit comprises:
a main body; and
an elastic arm arranged on one side of the main body,
the elastic arm having a stopping wall configured to face the plug-in direction and an actuating slope configured to obliquely face the plug-in direction;
wherein a first pitch is defined along the plug-in direction from the actuating portion to the stopping portion;
wherein, for each of the first plug-in unit and the second plug-in unit, a respective second pitch is defined along the plug-in direction from the actuating slope to the stopping wall;
wherein the second pitch of the first plug-in unit is different from the second pitch of the second plug-in unit; and
wherein the first pitch is greater than or equal to the respective second pitch of each of the first plug-in unit and the second plug-in unit, such that during insertion of a corresponding plug-in unit into the socket, contact between the actuating slope and the actuating portion causes the elastic arm to deflect before the stopping wall reaches the stopping portion.
2 . The cabinet assembly of claim 1 , wherein the second pitch of the first plug-in unit is smaller than the second pitch of the second plug-in unit.
3 . The cabinet assembly of claim 1 , further comprising a third plug-in unit having a third pitch defined along the plug-in direction from an actuating slope to a stopping wall of an elastic arm thereof, wherein the third pitch is greater than the first pitch, such that the third plug-in unit is prevented from being fully inserted into the socket by engagement between the stopping wall and the stopping portion.
4 . The cabinet assembly of claim 1 , wherein the elastic arm has one end fixed to the main body of the corresponding plug-in unit.
5 . The cabinet assembly of claim 1 , wherein the elastic arm extends from a fixed end attached to the main body in a direction opposite to the plug-in direction and remains entirely on a single lateral side of the main body throughout elastic deflection.
6 . The cabinet assembly of claim 1 , wherein the socket further comprises a releasing portion arranged on the internal surface, and the elastic arm further comprises a releasing slope configured to be pressed by the releasing portion when the plug-in unit is moved along a direction opposite to the plug-in direction.
7 . A shelf configured to be disposed in a cabinet and to receive a plug-in unit, comprising:
a socket defining an opening;
a stopping portion and an actuating portion arranged on an internal surface of the socket and respectively communicated with the opening;
wherein a plug-in direction is defined from the opening toward an interior of the socket;
wherein a first pitch is defined along the plug-in direction from the actuating portion to the stopping portion;
wherein the shelf is configured to receive a first plug-in unit and a second plug-in unit that are different from each other,
each of the first plug-in unit and the second plug-in unit comprising an elastic arm having a stopping wall configured to face the plug-in direction and an actuating slope configured to obliquely face the plug-in direction;
wherein, for each of the first plug-in unit and the second plug-in unit, a respective second pitch is defined along the plug-in direction from the actuating slope to the stopping wall;
wherein the second pitch of the first plug-in unit is different from the second pitch of the second plug-in unit; and
wherein the first pitch is greater than or equal to the respective second pitch of each of the first plug-in unit and the second plug-in unit.
8 . The shelf of claim 7 , wherein the second pitch of the first plug-in unit is smaller than the second pitch of the second plug-in unit.
9 . The shelf of claim 7 , wherein the shelf is further configured to prevent insertion of a third plug-in unit having a third pitch greater than the first pitch.
10 . The shelf of claim 7 , wherein the elastic arm of each plug-in unit has one end fixed to a main body thereof.
11 . The shelf of claim 7 , wherein the elastic arm extends from a fixed end attached to the plug-in unit in a direction opposite to the plug-in direction and remains entirely on one side of the plug-in unit without crossing the opening during elastic deflection.
12 . The shelf of claim 7 , wherein the socket further comprises a releasing portion, and the elastic arm further comprises a releasing slope configured to cooperate with the releasing portion when the plug-in unit is moved in a direction opposite to the plug-in direction.