US 11,873,119 B1
Fast, swappable modular tray and rack structure
Christopher M. Duron, New Market, AL (US); Gauge C. Day, Cullman, AL (US); Jessica L. Shrontz, Madison, AL (US); and Travis S. Taylor, Somerville, AL (US)
Assigned to The United States of America, as represented by the Secretary of the Army, Washington, DC (US)
Filed by U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command, Huntsville, AL (US)
Filed on Jul. 17, 2019, as Appl. No. 16/514,242.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/714,393, filed on Aug. 3, 2018.
Int. Cl. H05K 7/14 (2006.01); B64G 1/10 (2006.01); B64G 1/22 (2006.01)
CPC B64G 1/10 (2013.01) [H05K 7/1434 (2013.01); H05K 7/1439 (2013.01); B64G 1/223 (2023.08)] 14 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A modular satellite chassis, comprising:
a plurality of frame rails comprising a left front frame rail, a right front frame rail, a left back frame rail, and a right back frame rail, each back frame rail being substantially L-shaped with a first member and a second member;
a plurality of transverse parallel ribs disposed on the interiors of the front frame rails and the interiors of each first member of the back frame rails, the ribs on the front frame rails corresponding in location to one another and to the ribs on the back frame rails, each rib having a central longitudinal axis and a narrow first slot disposed along the central longitudinal axis, and the ribs being spaced apart by wider second slots;
a backplane connected to interiors of the second member of each back frame rail and adjacent to each first member;
a plurality of trays slidingly received by the second slots on the front frame rails and the corresponding second slots on the back frame rails;
a plurality of internal components comprising a plurality of first and second circuit boards, the first circuit boards being directly slidably received by the first slots of the front frame rails and the corresponding first slots of the back frame rails, and the second circuit boards being attached to the trays and the trays being slidably received by the second slots of the front frame rails and the corresponding second slots of the back frame rails, the first and second circuit boards electrically plugging into the backplane and the backplane routing power and signals to the internal components; and
a plurality of panels surrounding a periphery of the modular satellite chassis and forming a housing for the modular satellite chassis to encase and hold the internal components in place.