Cam and lever ejector assembly
An ejector assembly for securing a modular assembly in a chassis is disclosed. The ejector assembly comprises a cam rotatably mounted to the modular assembly such that the cam may be rotated about a first axis, the cam having a control member configured to extend into a recess in the chassis when the cam is rotated into a locked position and be retracted from the recess when the cam is rotated into a retracted position; and a lever rotatably mounted to the modular assembly such that the lever may be rotated about a second axis substantially parallel to the first axis, the lever being configured to cause the cam to be rotated about the first axis when a force is applied to the lever to rotate the lever about the second axis, whereby the cam may be rotated into either the locked position or the retracted position by operating the lever.
1. An ejector assembly for securing a modular assembly in a chassis, comprising:
a cam rotatably mounted to the modular assembly such that the cam may be rotated about a first axis, the cam having a control member configured to extend into a recess in the chassis when the cam is rotated into a locked position and be retracted from the recess when the cam is rotated into a retracted position; and
a lever rotatably mounted to the modular assembly such that the lever may be rotated about a second axis substantially parallel to the first axis, the lever being configured to cause the cam to be rotated about the first axis when a force is applied to the lever to rotate the lever about the second axis, whereby the cam may be rotated into either the locked position or the retracted position by operating the lever.
2. The ejector assembly of claim 1 wherein the modular assembly comprises a front face and the cam and lever are configured such that the lever is in a first position substantially perpendicular to the front face when the cam is in the locked position and the lever is in a second position substantially parallel and adjacent to the front face when the cam is in the retracted position.
3. The ejector assembly of claim 1 wherein the cam comprises a first toothed portion having a plurality of cam gear teeth, the lever comprises a second toothed portion having a plurality of lever gear teeth, and the lever and cam are mounted and configured such that the lever gear teeth engage and transmit force to the cam gear teeth when the lever is rotated about the second axis such that when a force is applied to rotate the lever about the second axis in a first rotational direction the cam is rotated about the first axis in the opposite rotational direction.
4. The ejector assembly of claim 3 wherein the first toothed portion, the second toothed portion, the cam, and the lever are sized and positioned so as to provide a mechanical advantage that reduces the minimum lever length required for the lever to be able to rotate the cam between the locked and retracted positions by rotating the lever through a desired range of rotation.
5. The ejector assembly of claim 4 wherein the desired range of rotation is approximately 90 degrees.
6. The ejector assembly of claim 1 wherein:
the cam comprises a first toothed portion comprising a plurality of cam gear teeth;
the lever comprises a second toothed portion comprising a plurality of lever gear teeth;
the ejector assembly further comprises an idler gear interposed between the cam and the lever, the idler gear having a plurality of idler gear teeth; and
the lever, idler gear, and cam are mounted and configured such that the lever gear teeth engage and transmit force to the idler gear teeth, which in turn engage and transmit force to the cam gear teeth, when the lever is rotated about the second axis such that when a force is applied to rotate the lever about the second axis the cam is rotated about the first axis in the same rotational direction.
7. The ejector assembly of claim 6 wherein the first toothed portion, the second toothed portion, the cam, the idler gear, and the lever are sized and positioned so as to provide a mechanical advantage that reduces the minimum lever length required for the lever to be able to rotate the cam between the locked and retracted positions by rotating the lever through a desired range of rotation.
8. The ejector assembly of claim 6 wherein the modular assembly comprises a front face and the cam, idler gear, and lever are configured such that the lever is in a first position substantially perpendicular to the front face when the cam is in the retracted position and the lever is in a second position substantially parallel and adjacent to the front face when the cam is in the locked position.
9. An ejector assembly for securing a modular assembly in a chassis, comprising:
means rotatably mounted to the modular assembly for locking the modular assembly in place in the chassis when the means for locking is in a locked position and leaving the modular assembly free to be inserted or extracted from the chassis when the means for locking is in an unlocked position; and
means rotatably mounted to the modular assembly for engaging and rotating the means for locking, whereby the means for locking may be rotated into either the locked position or the unlocked position by operating the means for engaging and rotating.