Enclosure system for computing equipment

• US 10,025,357 B2
• Filed: 06/15/2015
• Issued: 07/17/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Seagate Technology LLC (Seagate Technology Holdings Plc)
• Original Assignee: Seagate Technology LLC (Seagate Technology Holdings Plc)
• Inventors: Davis, David Michael, Killen, Odie, Worrall, Alexander Carl
• Primary Examiner(s): Wilson, Adrian S
• Application Number:
  US14/740,081
• Publication Number:
  US 20160363966A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,128 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/187 Mounting of fixed and removable disk drives
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/20 Cooling means
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 33/00 Constructional parts, details or accessories not provided for in the other groups of this subclass
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 33/128 of the plurality of recording/reproducing devices, e.g. disk drives, onto a chassis

Abstract

The disclosed technology provides an enclosure system for computing equipment and a method for manufacturing an enclosure system, which includes a front enclosure base configured to secure a plurality of tray modules, each of the plurality of tray modules comprising a printed circuit board to connect a plurality of electronic components and being connected at a rear end to a connectivity midplane. The front enclosure base has a front end taller than the rear end such that the front end is configured to structurally support the plurality of tray modules and the rear end allows connecting rear faces of each of the plurality of tray modules to the connectivity midplane.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a configurable front enclosure base configured to secure enclosure variants, the enclosure variants including a plurality of tray modules, each of the plurality of tray modules comprising a printed circuit board to connect a plurality of electronic components and being connected at a rear end to a connectivity midplane, the connectivity midplane including a power midplane and dual signal circuitry including left-hand signal circuitry and right-hand signal circuitry;

the configurable front enclosure base having an airflow vent in at least one side of the configurable front enclosure base, a front end taller than the rear end such that the front end is configured to structurally support the plurality of tray modules and the rear end allows connecting rear faces of each of the plurality of tray modules to the connectivity midplane, and the tray modules slideably connected to the configurable front enclosure base on rail runners located on an interior side of the configurable front enclosure base; and

a rear sub-chassis assembly configured to connect to one end of the configurable front enclosure base.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising a cover that interfaces with the configurable front enclosure base about a perimeter of the cover.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the tray modules are 2.5 or 3.5-inch data storage drive trays.

4. The system of claim 1, further comprising a rear extension cover.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising a chassis about 900 mm or 1100 mm long.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the tray modules hold about 16 data storage drives in a largest-side down orientation and the configurable front enclosure base secures about 8 tray modules.

7. The system of claim 1, further comprising a chassis 6 U high.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein the configurable front enclosure base is configured to house tray modules of different dimensions.

8. A method comprising:

forming a configurable front enclosure base configured to secure enclosure variants for different types of data storage drives, the enclosure variants including a plurality of tray modules, each of the plurality of tray modules comprising a printed circuit board to connect a plurality of electronic components and being connected at a rear end to a connectivity midplane, the connectivity midplane including a power midplane and dual signal circuitry including left-hand signal circuitry and right-hand signal circuitry,

the configurable front enclosure base having a front end configured to structurally support the plurality of tray modules and the rear end allows connecting rear faces of each of the plurality of tray modules to the connectivity midplane.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising forming a rear sub-chassis configured to connect to one end of the configurable front enclosure base.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising forming a cover that interfaces with the configurable front enclosure base about a perimeter of the cover.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein forming the configurable front enclosure base further includes forming an airflow vent in at least one the side of the configurable front enclosure base.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising forming a rear extension cover.

13. A storage system, comprising:

a plurality of data storage drives; and

a configurable front enclosure base configured to house tray modules of different dimensions and secure enclosure variants, the enclosure variants including one or more printed circuit boards configured to connect one or more of the data storage drives to a plurality of electronic components and connected at their rear ends to a connectivity midplane, the connectivity midplane including a power midplane and dual signal circuitry including left-hand and right-hand signal circuitries,

the configurable front enclosure base having a front end taller than a rear end such that the front end is configured to structurally support the plurality of printed circuit boards and the rear end allows connecting rear faces of each of the plurality of printed circuit boards to the connectivity midplane.

14. The storage system of claim 13, further comprising a rear sub-chassis assembly housing a controller, power supplies, fan modules, and a fan control printed circuit board, the rear sub-chassis assembly configured to connect to one end of the configurable front enclosure base.

15. The storage system of claim 13, further comprising a cover that interfaces with the configurable front enclosure base about a perimeter of the configurable front enclosure base, the cover having a rear end taller than the front end.

16. The storage system of claim 14, further comprising a rear extension cover configured to connect to the rear sub-chassis assembly.

17. The storage system of claim 14, further comprising an airflow vent in at least one side of the configurable front enclosure base.

19. The storage system of claim 14, further comprising a horizontal airflow generating means in the rear sub-chassis assembly configured to provide horizontal airflow to cool tray modules including a plurality of storage devices.