WO2003017278A1 - Structure for mounting disk drive on shelf - Google Patents

Abstract

A structure for mounting a hard disk drive on a shelf, comprising a hard disk drive having a first connector, a case for storing the hard disk drive therein, a shelf assembly having a shelf with a plurality of guide rails and a back wiring board with a second connector fixed to one end of the shelf, at least a pair of supporting springs fixed to the upper and lower surfaces of the case, and a fixing mechanism for fixing the supporting springs to the shelf when the case storing the hard disk drive therein is inserted into the shelf, the first and second connectors are fitted to each other, and the supporting springs are pressed against the inner surface of the shelf, the fixing mechanism further comprising a projected part formed integrally on the supporting springs and a groove formed in the inner surface of the shelf and fitted to the projected part.

Description

 Description Structure of mounting disk drive on the shelf

 The present invention relates to a structure for mounting a hard disk drive (HDD) on a shelf. Background technology

 In recent years, there has been a demand for miniaturization and large-capacity HDDs, which are a type of external storage device for computers. In order to increase the capacity of HDDs, the track pitch for data storage is becoming smaller. HDDs are going to have even larger capacities and higher speeds in the future, so the minute fluctuations of the disk drive will violate adjacent tracks on the disk, resulting in sudden misreading or data corruption. May cause off-track failure. This off-track failure can also be caused by the vibration of the disk drive itself or the arm of the actuator.

 Servers such as global servers, high-performance computer (HPC) servers, filers, and personal computer (PC) servers are connected to many lower-level computers via a communication network such as a local area network (LAN). Therefore, a so-called active disk drive unit is used, which allows the disk drive unit to be easily inserted into and removed from the shelf containing the disk drive unit while the server is turned on. The active disk drive unit consists of a disk drive, such as a hard disk drive, and a case (bracket) that houses the disk drive. The power to the server can be maintained without interrupting power to the server. Inserted and removed.

Figure 1 shows a conventional HDD mounting structure on a shelf. Reference numeral 2 denotes a hard disk drive (HDD) unit, which includes a case (bracket) 6 and an HDD 4 housed in the case 6 just to be fitted. Case 6 is formed of, for example, aluminum or an aluminum alloy. The HDD has a connector 8 at one end. Reference numeral 10 indicates a shelf assembly, and a plurality of guides are provided. The shelf 12 includes a shelf 12 having a drain, and a back wiring board 14 fixed to one end of the shelf 12. The connector 16 is mounted on the back wiring board 14.

 A plurality of support springs 18 formed of a leaf spring or the like are fixed to the upper and lower surfaces of the case 6. When the HDD unit 2 is pushed into the shelf along the guide rails of the shelf 12 at any time, the connector 8 mates with the connector 16. Since the backup board 14 is connected to the server via a LAN cable or the like, the HDD 4 housed in the shelf assembly 10 is connected to the server via the back wiring board 14. Become. HDD 4 is driven by a command from the server. At this time, the support spring 18 is pressed against the guide rail formed on the shelf 12 and the vibration of the HDD 4 is reduced by utilizing the spring action. The shelf assembly 10 is mounted on the rack 20, a part of which is shown, and is fixed to the rack 20 by a plurality of screws 21.

 In the conventional vibration damping method using the spring function of the support spring 18 as shown in FIG. 1, the gasket between the guide rail of the shelf and the active disk drive unit cannot be completely absorbed. Due to the vibration of the HDD spindle motor or the cooling fan and the power of the power supply, etc., the head deviation may be amplified, and there was a problem that the head could not avoid the off-track failure.

 In addition, the weight of shelves has recently been reduced, and the rigidity of the shelves themselves tends to decrease. There are various HDD installation patterns in ultra-large systems and file servers, etc., and there is a problem that structural measures that cover each pattern lack versatility and lead to cost increases. HDD spindle motors tend to rotate more and more at high speeds, which increases the excitation force on the suspension due to high-speed airflow, etc., and limiting individual vibrations with off-track servo control limits the ability to suppress vibrations There is. Disclosure of the invention

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to absorb the backlash between the disk drive unit and the guide rail of the shelf, and to greatly reduce the vibration generated in the disk drive. To provide a functional disk drive mounting structure to the shelf. According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a structure for mounting a disk drive having a first connector on a shelf, the case having an upper surface and a lower surface, for accommodating the disk drive; and a plurality of guide rails; A shelve assembly including a first end and a second end, a shelve assembly fixed to the second end of the shelve, and a back wiring board having a second connector; fixed to upper and lower surfaces of the case; At least a pair of support springs; the case accommodating the disk drive is inserted into the shelf from a first end side, the first and second connectors are fitted, and the support springs are mounted on the shelf. Means for securing each of said support springs to said shelf when pressed against an inner surface thereof. Mounting structure to Erufu is provided.

 Preferably, the fixing means includes a projection formed integrally with each support spring, and a groove formed on the inner surface of the shelf in which the projection is fitted.

 According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a mounting structure of a disk drive having a first connector on a shelf, each of which has an upper surface and a lower surface formed with tap holes, and is provided for accommodating the disk drive. A case; a plurality of guide rails, at least a pair of first holes, a shelf having a first end and a second end, and a back-wire ring board fixed to the second end of the shelf and having a second connector. At least a pair of support springs fixed to the upper and lower surfaces of the case, each having a second hole; and a front case housing the disk drive is provided with a shelf assembly from a first end side. When the first and second connectors are inserted into a shelf and the support springs are pressed against the inner surface of the shelf, the first and second connectors are aligned. And at least one pair of screws fastened to the tap hole through the second hole and the second hole, the mounting structure of the disk drive to the shelf is provided.

According to still another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a structure for mounting a disk drive having a first connector and an actuator on a shelf, the case having an upper surface and a lower surface, and accommodating the disk drive. A plurality of guide rails, a shelf having first and second ends, and a second connector fixed to the second end of the shelf. A shelf assembly including a back-wiring pod; at least a pair of support springs fixed to upper and lower surfaces of the case; and the case accommodating the disk drive, wherein the case accommodates the disk drive from a first end side. A heater attached to the shelf so as to be inserted at least in the vicinity of one of the support springs when the first and second connectors are fitted into the shelf and the first and second connectors are fitted together; A temperature sensor attached to the shelf for detecting a temperature; a position monitoring mechanism for detecting the amplitude of the actuator; and a heater for controlling the amplitude detected by the position monitoring mechanism to a predetermined value or less. And a control means for energizing the disk drive. The mounting structure of the disk drive on the shelf is provided. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

 FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a mounting structure of a conventional hard disk drive on a shelf; FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a mounting structure of a hard disk drive of the present invention on a shelf;

 Fig. 3 shows the frequency response based on the simulation when the Young's modulus of the support spring is changed;

 FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the first embodiment of the present invention;

 FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the first embodiment;

 FIG. 6 is a sectional view of a second embodiment of the present invention;

 FIG. 7 is a schematic configuration diagram of a third embodiment of the present invention;

 FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the material properties (Young's modulus) of the support spring that can be used in the third embodiment; FIG. 9 is a flowchart for controlling the rigidity of the support spring in the third embodiment. BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Hereinafter, some embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the description of each embodiment, substantially the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals. Referring to FIG. 2, there is shown a perspective view of a state in which a hard disk drive unit (HDD unit) 22 is inserted and mounted in a Chenoref assembly 28. The HDD unit 22 has a roughly U-shaped case (placket) 26 and a just-fitted case 26. Includes a hard disk drive (HDD) 24 housed to run. Case 26 is formed of aluminum or an aluminum alloy. A plurality of support springs 34 formed of, for example, leaf springs are fixed to the upper and lower surfaces of the case 26.

 The shelf assembly 28 includes a box-shaped shelf 30 having an open front and back, and a back wiring board (not shown) fixed to a rear end of the shelf 30. As shown in the conventional example of FIG. 1, the back wiring board is equipped with a connector that is fitted to the HDD 24 connector. The shelf 30 has an upper wall 30a, a lower wall 30b, and a pair of side walls 30c, 30d connecting the upper wall 30a and the lower wall 30b. A plurality of guide rails 32 for guiding the insertion and removal of the HDD unit 22 are formed on the lower side of the upper wall 30a and the upper side of the low wall 30b. The shelf 30 is made of, for example, stainless steel having a thickness of 1.0 mm. The guide rail 32 is formed by cutting and raising a part of the upper wall 30a or the lower wall 30b.

According to the simulation model in which the HD Dunit 22 is inserted and mounted in the shelf assembly 28 shown in Fig. 2, torque is applied to the point of application of the voice coil motor (VCM) of the HDD to add the guide rail of the shelf. A frequency response analysis was performed for the case of vibration. Figure 3 shows the frequency response analysis results when the Young's modulus of the support spring is changed in three stages. Horizontal axis represents the frequency (H z :), the vertical axis represents the displacement (1 0- ³ mm).

 The hard disk drive has the following parameters.

 Weight: 730 g

 V CM torque: 0.08 N m / A

 Radiance: 44 mm

 Actu Yue overnight: 40 g

Curve A support spring Young's modulus 5 0 0 kgf / mm ² in FIG. 3, the curve B the supporting Baneya's modulus 1 0 0 0 0 kgf / mm 2, curve C supporting spring Young's modulus 4 2 0 0 0 kgf / The mm ² case is shown separately. The coefficient of friction / between the supporting spring and the shelf is 0.003 for curve a, 0.05 for curve b, and 0.22 for curve c. From the simulation results shown in Fig. 3, the tightening between the support spring and the shelf Then, in other words, if the frictional force between the support spring and the shelf is increased by increasing the Young's modulus of the support spring, the vibration can be suppressed and the off-track failure of the head can be suppressed. .

 FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the first embodiment of the present invention based on the above findings. FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 5, a support spring 34 formed of a leaf spring is fixed to a case 26 with screws 38. The support spring 34 has a hole 42, and a cap hole 36 is formed in the case 26 in alignment with the hole 42 as shown in FIG. Further, push the HDD unit 22 fully into the shelf 30 so that the connector of the HDD 24 and the connector of the back wiring board are aligned with the hole 42 of the support spring 34 when the connector of the HDD 24 and the connector of the back wiring board are fitted. A hole 40 is formed in the shell 30.

 Therefore, in the present embodiment, the HDD unit 22 is pushed fully into the shelf 30 so that the connector of the HDD 24 and the connector mounted on the pack wiring pod of the shelf assembly 28 are fitted. At this time, the screw 44 is fastened to the tap 6 36 of the case 26 through the hole 40 of the shelf 30 and the hole 42 of the support spring 34. When the screw 44 is properly tightened, the rigidity of the support spring 34 is increased, and the vibration of the HDD 24 caused by the rotation of the HDD 24 in the spindle mode can be significantly suppressed. This makes it possible to prevent off-track failure of the HDD 24 head.

FIG. 6 shows a sectional view of the second embodiment of the present invention. In the present embodiment, a projection 48 is integrally formed on a leaf spring 46 fixed to the case 26 of the HDD unit 22. Then, the HDD unit 22 is inserted into the shelf 30 at any time, and when the connector of the HDD 24 and the connector mounted on the back wiring board of the shelf assembly 28 are fitted, the support spring A groove 50 is formed in the shell 30 so that the protrusion 48 of 46 just fits. Since the projections 48 of the support springs 46 fit into the grooves 50 provided in the shelf 30, the support springs 46 are firmly pressed against the inner surface of the shelf 30 without slipping. As a result, vibrations generated in the HDD 24 due to the spinning rotation of the HDD 24 can be suppressed, and the off-track failure of the head of the HDD 24 can be prevented. Referring to FIG. 7, there is shown a schematic configuration diagram of a third embodiment of the present invention. In the present embodiment, the shelf 30 ′ may be made of sheet metal, but is preferably formed of a resin mold having low thermal conductivity in order to minimize heat conduction from the heater 64 to the HDD 24 via the support spring 62. I like it. When the HDD unit 22 is shortly inserted into the shelf assembly 28 and the connector 56 of the HDD 24 mates with the connector 60 mounted on the back wiring board 58 of the shelf assembly 28, it is supported. The heater 64 is embedded in the guide rail of the shelf 30 ′ so as to be located near the spring 62. Preferably, the heater 64 comes into contact with the support spring 62 when the HDD unit 22 is completely inserted. Further, a temperature sensor 66 for detecting the temperature of the support spring 62, such as a thermistor, is attached to the shelf 30 '. · The support spring 62 is preferably formed from a shape memory alloy having high thermal conductivity. As a material property of the support spring 62, it is necessary that the Young's modulus (support spring rigidity) increases as the temperature rises as shown in FIG. Preferably, heater 64 is formed of Cu. Further, in order to minimize heat conduction from the heater 64 to the HDD 24 via the support spring 62, the case 26 ′ is preferably formed of a resin mold having low thermal conductivity. A position monitoring mechanism 70 such as an acceleration sensor is mounted on the tip of the actuator arm 54 of the HDD 24. The output signal of the temperature sensor 66 and the position monitoring mechanism Ί 0 is input to a control device 72 such as an MPU, and in response to these input signals, the control device Ί 2 is connected to the heater power supply 6 connected to the heater 64. Drive 8. A part of the shelf assembly 28 is mounted on a rack 70 shown in the drawing, and is fixed to the rack 70 by a plurality of screws 72.

Hereinafter, the system initialization control routine of the present embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. First, in step S10, the amplitude of the tip of the actuator arm 54 is detected by the position monitoring mechanism 70 such as an acceleration sensor. This amplitude is input to the control device 72, and it is determined in step S12 whether or not the amplitude is equal to or less than the off-track budget. If the amplitude is larger than the off track budget, the process proceeds to step S14, and the heater power supply 68 is turned on. As a result, the heater 64 is heated, and the temperature of the support spring 62 in contact with the heater 64 increases. In step S16, the temperature of the support spring 62 is detected by the temperature sensor 66, and At 18 it is determined whether or not the detected temperature T is lower than T 1 imit.

 If the determination in step S18 is affirmative, the process returns to step S10, and the routine from step S10 to step S18 is performed until the amplitude is determined to be equal to or less than the off-track budget in step S12. repeat. If it is determined in step S12 that the amplitude is equal to or smaller than the off-track budget, the process proceeds to step S20, and the initialization is completed. If it is determined in step S18 that the detected temperature T is higher than Tlimt, the support spring 62 is overheated, and this routine ends.

 Regardless of the number of HDDs installed, the off-track budget of each HDD can be achieved with a single control device by providing multiple channels for the amplitude at the tip of the actuator arm of each HDD and the temperature information of the corresponding support spring. it can. In addition, it is preferable that the computer system monitoring device be able to input the requirement when the system power is turned on, as to how much the support spring temperature characteristic can be varied. Industrial applicability

 Since the present invention is configured as described in detail above, self-vibration caused by high-speed rotation of the spindle drive of the hard disk drive and / or head sway caused by vibration applied from the computer system to the hard disk drive mounting portion is prevented. Vibration can be suppressed below the target off-track level without being amplified, and head off-track failure can be effectively prevented.

Claims

The scope of the claims 1. A mounting structure for a disk drive having a first connector on a shelf, having a top surface and a bottom surface, and a case for accommodating the disk drive; and a plurality of guide rails and a first end and a second end. A shelf assembly fixed to a second end of the shelf and having a back wiring board having a second connector;  At least one pair of support springs fixed to the upper and lower surfaces of the case; the case housing the disk drive is inserted into the shelf from a first end side, and the first and second connectors are fitted together Means for fixing the support springs to the shelf when the support springs are pressed against the inner surface of the shelf.  A structure for mounting a disk drive on a shelf, comprising:  2. The mounting structure according to claim 1, wherein the fixing means includes a projection formed integrally with each of the support springs, and a groove formed on an inner surface of the shelf in which the projection is fitted.  3. A mounting structure of the disk drive having the first connector on the shelf, each having an upper surface and a lower surface formed with an opening, and a case for accommodating the disk drive;  A shelf including a plurality of guide rails, a shelf having at least a pair of first holes, a first end and a second end, and a back wiring board fixed to the second end of the shelf and having a second connector. Assembly and;  At least one pair of support springs fixed to the upper and lower surfaces of the case, each having a second hole; When the case accommodating the disk drive is inserted into the shelf from the first end side, the first and second connectors are fitted, and the support spring is pressed against the inner surface of the shelf. At least one pair of screws fastened to the evening hole through the aligned first and second holes; A structure for mounting a disk drive on a shelf, comprising: 4. The mounting structure of the disk drive having the first connector and the actuator on the shelf,  A case having an upper surface and a lower surface for accommodating the disk drive; a shelf having a plurality of guide rails, a first end and a second end; A shelf assembly fixed to two ends and including a back wiring board having a second connector;  At least a pair of support springs fixed to the upper surface and the lower surface of the case; and the case accommodating the disk drive is inserted into the shelf from a first end side, and the first and second connectors are fitted. At least one heat sink attached to the shelf so as to be located at least near one of the support springs;  A temperature sensor attached to the shelf for detecting a temperature of the support spring adjacent to the heater;  A position monitoring mechanism for detecting the amplitude of the event;  Control means for energizing the heater so that the amplitude detected by the position monitoring mechanism is equal to or less than a predetermined value;  A structure for mounting a disk drive on a shelf, comprising: