Flexible-mount electrical connection

• US 10,431,261 B2
• Filed: 06/20/2017
• Issued: 10/01/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/20/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Western Digital Technologies Incorporated (Western Digital Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Western Digital Technologies Incorporated (Western Digital Corporation)
• Inventors: Amin-Shahidi, Darya, Hirano, Toshiki, Huang, Lidu, McNally, Todd, Wilke, Jeff
• Primary Examiner(s): Hyeon, Hae Moon
• Application Number:
  US15/627,632
• Publication Number:
  US 20180366163A1
• Time in Patent Office: 833 Days
• Field of Search: 36167933, 36167934, 439247, 439248, 439384, 439 82
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/187 Mounting of fixed and removable disk drives
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 33/08 Insulation or absorption of undesired vibrations or sounds
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 33/122 Arrangements for providing electrical connections, e.g. connectors, cables, switches
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 33/126 Arrangements for providing electrical connections, e.g. connectors, cables, switches
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 33/128 of the plurality of recording/reproducing devices, e.g. disk drives, onto a chassis
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 12/613 by means of interconnecting elements
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 12/7076 for connection between PCB and component, e.g. display
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 12/774 Retainers
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 12/778 Coupling parts carrying sockets, clips or analogous counter-contacts H01R12/78, H01R12/79 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 12/91 allowing relative movement between coupling parts, e.g. floating or self aligning for coupling devices not specially adapted for printed circuits, flat or ribbon cables, or like generally planar structures, H01R13/6315 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/2442 with a single cantilevered beam
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 25/16 Rails or bus-bars provided with a plurality of discrete connecting locations for counterparts
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 33/88 adapted for simultaneous co-operation with two or more identical counterparts

Abstract

Provided herein are systems and apparatus for reducing vibration interaction between hard drives. In one implementation, a flexible mount electrical connection comprises a mating connector configured to physically couple with a hard drive connector and a plurality of electrical pins having a connector portion positioned within the mating connector configured to electrically couple with hard drive connector pins positioned within the hard drive connector. Each electrical pin has an extended portion extending away from the mating connector. The extended portion has an attachment portion configured to electrically couple the respective electrical pin to a printed circuit board, and the extended portion has a shape formed therein configured to reduce transmission of vibrations in the connector portion along each axis of a three-dimensional space to the attachment portion.

Claims

1. A flexible-mount electrical connection comprising:

a mating connector configured to physically couple with a hard drive connector; and

a plurality of electrical pins that suspend the mating connector over a void in a printed circuit board (PCB), each electrical pin having;

a connector portion positioned within the mating connector configured to electrically couple with hard drive connector pins positioned within the hard drive connector; and

an extended portion extending externally away from the mating connector, the extended portion having;

an attachment portion configured to electrically couple the electrical pin to the PCB; and

a curved shape formed therein configured to reduce transmission of vibrations in the connector portion along each axis of a three-dimensional space to the attachment portion.

2. The flexible-mount electrical connection of claim 1, further comprising:

a pin separator positioned adjacently to the plurality of electrical pins and configured to prevent electrical contact between adjacent electrical pins of the plurality of electrical pins.

3. The flexible-mount electrical connection of claim 2, wherein the pin separator comprises a plurality of teeth, each tooth extending into a space between adjacent electrical pins of the plurality of electrical pins.

4. The flexible-mount electrical connection of claim 3, wherein each tooth of the plurality of teeth comprises a pair of walls tapering from an end thereof toward a body of the pin separator.

5. The flexible-mount electrical connection of claim 3, wherein the pin separator further comprises an alignment pin configured to align the pin separator with respect to the PCB.

6. The flexible-mount electrical connection of claim 1, wherein the curved shape is configured to isolate motions in the connector portion from the attachment portion.

7. The flexible-mount electrical connection of claim 1, wherein the curved shape comprises an “

S”

shape.

8. A vibration-isolating hard disk drive carrier, comprising:

a carrier body;

one or more isolation hangers coupled to the carrier body and configured to support the hard disk drive in a vertical orientation; and

a flexible-mount electrical connection comprising;

an electrical connector configured to physically couple with a hard drive connector of the hard disk drive;

a plurality of electrical pins that suspend the electrical connector over a void in a printed circuit board (PCB), the plurality of electrical pins having a connector portion positioned within the electrical connector configured to electrically couple with hard drive connector pins positioned within the hard drive connector, each electrical pin having an extended portion extending externally away from the electrical connector, the extended portion having;

an attachment portion configured to electrically couple the electrical pin to the PCB;

; and

a curved shape configured to reduce transmission of vibrations in the connector portion along each axis of a three-dimensional space to the attachment portion.

9. The vibration-isolating hard disk drive carrier of claim 8, wherein an assembly formed of the carrier body, the one or more isolation hangers, and the hard disk drive is supportable in a sled only by way of:

a first isolation hanger of the one or more isolation hangers of the assembly in contact with a first drive divider positioned within the sled;

a second isolation hanger of the one or more isolation hangers of the assembly in contact with a second drive divider positioned within the sled; and

a physical coupling of the hard drive connector of the hard disk drive of the assembly with the flexible-mount electrical connection.

10. The vibration-isolating hard disk drive carrier of claim 8, wherein the flexible-mount electrical connection further comprises a pin collimator positioned adjacently to the plurality of electrical pins and configured to prevent electrical contact between adjacent electrical pins of the plurality of electrical pins.

11. The vibration-isolating hard disk drive carrier of claim 10, wherein the pin collimator comprises a plurality of teeth, each tooth extending into a space between adjacent electrical pins of the plurality of electrical pins.

12. The vibration-isolating hard disk drive carrier of claim 11, wherein each tooth of the plurality of teeth comprises a pair of walls tapering from an end thereof toward a body of the pin collimator.

13. The vibration-isolating hard disk drive carrier of claim 8, wherein the curved shape is configured to isolate motions in the connector portion from the attachment portion.

14. A hanging mounting system for a vibration-isolating hard disk drive carrier comprising:

a carrier body;

one or more isolation hangers coupled to the carrier body and configured to support the hard disk drive in a vertical orientation;

one or more drive dividers comprising one or more engagement elements configured to couple with the one or more isolation hangers; and

a flexible-mount electrical connection comprising;

a mating connector configured to physically couple with a hard drive connector of the hard disk drive; and

a plurality of electrical pins that suspend the mating connector over a void in a printed circuit board (PCB), each electrical pin comprising;

a first portion positioned within the mating connector configured to electrically couple with hard drive connector pins positioned within the hard drive connector; and

an extended portion extending externally away from the mating connector, the extended portion having;

an attachment end configured to electrically couple the electrical pin to the PCB; and

a curved shape configured to reduce transmission of vibrations.

15. The hanging mounting system of claim 14, wherein an assembly formed of the carrier body, the one or more isolation hangers, and the hard disk drive is supportable in a sled only by way of:

a first isolation hanger of the one or more isolation hangers of the assembly in contact with a first drive divider of the one or more drive dividers positioned within the sled;

a second isolation hanger of the one or more isolation hangers of the assembly in contact with a second drive divider of the one or more drive dividers positioned within the sled; and

a physical coupling of the hard drive connector of the hard disk drive of the assembly with the flexible-mount electrical connection.

16. The hanging mounting system of claim 14, wherein the one or more drive dividers align a respective hard disk drive to a respective flexible-mount electrical connection.

17. The hanging mounting system of claim 14, wherein the flexible-mount electrical connection further comprises a pin separator positioned adjacently to the plurality of electrical pins and configured to prevent electrical contact between adjacent electrical pins of the plurality of electrical pins.

18. The hanging mounting system of claim 17, wherein the pin separator comprises a plurality of teeth, each tooth extending into a space between adjacent electrical pins of the plurality of electrical pins.

19. A connector assembly comprising:

coupling means for physically coupling with a hard drive connector; and

connecting means for suspending the coupling means over a void in a printed circuit board (PCB) and electrically connecting a hard drive to the PCB, wherein the connecting means comprises;

means for coupling the connecting means to a plurality of hard drive connector pins positioned within the hard drive connector; and

PCB coupling means for coupling the connecting means to contact pads of the PCB, the PCB coupling means comprises;

attachment means for electrically coupling the hard drive connector pins to the contact pads of the PCB; and

curve-shaped vibration reduction means for reducing vibration transmission between the hard drive and the PCB along each axis of a three-dimensional space to the attachment means.

20. A flexible-mount electrical connection comprising:

a mating connector configured to physically couple with a hard drive connector;

a plurality of electrical pins, each electrical pin having;

a connector portion positioned within the mating connector configured to electrically couple with hard drive connector pins positioned within the hard drive connector;

an extended portion extending externally away from the mating connector, wherein;

the extended portion has an attachment portion configured to electrically couple the electrical pin to a printed circuit board (PCB); and

the extended portion has a curved shape formed therein configured to reduce transmission of vibrations in the connector portion along each axis of a three-dimensional space to the attachment portion; and

a pin separator positioned adjacent to the plurality of electrical pins and configured to prevent electrical contact between adjacent electrical pins of the plurality of electrical pins, wherein;

the pin separator comprises a plurality of teeth;

each tooth comprises a pair of walls tapering from an end thereof toward a body of the pin separator; and

each tooth extends into a space between the adjacent electrical pins.