Alternately shaped backplane for receiving electrical components

• US 10,546,617 B2
• Filed: 11/20/2017
• Issued: 01/28/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 11/20/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Western Digital Technologies Incorporated (Western Digital Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Western Digital Technologies Incorporated (Western Digital Corporation)
• Inventors: Wilke, Jeffrey D., Niss, David W., Hirano, Toshiki, Huang, Lidu
• Primary Examiner(s): Aychillhum, Andargie M
• Application Number:
  US15/818,049
• Publication Number:
  US 20190156866A1
• Time in Patent Office: 799 Days
• Field of Search: 361788
• 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 33/128 of the plurality of recording/reproducing devices, e.g. disk drives, onto a chassis

Abstract

Provided herein are systems and apparatus for reducing vibration interaction between hard drives. In one implementation, an apparatus is provided comprising a backplane that comprises a substrate comprising an at least partially flexible material and a connector island assembly formed in the substrate. The connector island assembly comprises a spring element and a connector island. The spring element extends from a main portion of the substrate, and the connector island extends from the spring element. The connector island assembly is surrounded by the main portion of the substrate and configured to flex independently of the main portion of the substrate.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising a backplane configured to receive electrical components, the backplane comprising:

a substrate comprising an at least partially flexible material; and

a connector island assembly formed in the substrate and comprising;

a spring element having a spring element width and a spring element length orthogonal to and longer than the spring element width; and

a connector island having a connector island width and a connector island length longer than the connector island width;

wherein;

the spring element extends from a main portion of the substrate at a first end of the spring element along a first direction toward a second end of the spring element;

the first direction is parallel to a spring element central axis extending along the spring element length;

the connector island extends from the second end of the spring element at a first end of the connector island along a second direction parallel to the connector island length toward a second end of the connector island; and

the second direction is orthogonal to the first direction and parallel to a connector island central axis extending along the connector island length; and

wherein the connector island assembly is;

surrounded by the main portion of the substrate; and

configured to flex independently of the main portion of the substrate.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the connector island length exceeds the spring element length.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the connector island width exceeds the spring element width.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the connector island assembly is formed in the substrate via a cutout formed in the substrate.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising an electrical connector coupled to the connector island.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, further comprising an electrical trace integrally formed in the substrate and electrically connecting the main portion of the substrate to the electrical connector along at least a portion of the spring element and along at least a portion of the connector island.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a travel limiter positioned adjacently to the connector island assembly and separated from the connector island assembly by a gap distance;

wherein the travel limiter is configured to limit a deflection distance of the connector island assembly as a result of the connector island assembly being displaced toward the travel limiter by the gap distance.

8. A system for isolating electrical component vibrations, the system comprising:

a substrate comprising an at least partially flexible material;

a plurality of spring elements formed in the substrate and connected to a main portion of the substrate, wherein the main portion of the substrate extends along a substrate plane;

a plurality of connector islands formed in the substrate, wherein each connector island is connected to the main portion of the substrate via a single, respective spring element of the plurality of spring elements;

a chassis member positioned adjacently to a first side of the substrate; and

a travel limiter assembly comprising a plurality of connector elements extending from a travel limiter frame;

wherein;

each connector element of the plurality of connector elements is coupled to the chassis member and extends from the chassis member through a respective void in the substrate from the first side of the substrate to the travel limiter frame positioned adjacently to a second side of the substrate;

the travel limiter frame is separated from the second side of the substrate by a travel gap; and

the travel limiter frame is configured to contact a respective connector island of the plurality of connector islands in response to at least a portion of the respective connector island coming into contact with the travel limiter frame due to flexure of the respective spring element connected to the respective connector island.

9. The system of claim 8, further comprising a plurality of connector island vibration isolators, wherein a connector island vibration isolator of the plurality of connector island vibration isolators is:

positioned between the chassis member and a respective connector island of the plurality of connector islands; and

configured to limit travel of the respective connector island toward the chassis member.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the connector island vibration isolator is formed of a viscoelastic material.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein a connector element of the plurality of connector elements extends through the substrate without contacting the main portion of the substrate and without contacting an adjacent, undisplaced connector island of the plurality of connector islands.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein a connector element of the plurality of connector elements comprises a hook configured to couple the connector element to the chassis member.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein:

a spring element of the plurality of spring elements extends from the main portion of the substrate at a first end of the spring element along a first direction toward a second end of the spring element;

the first direction is parallel to a spring element central axis extending along a length of the spring element;

a connector island of the plurality of connector islands extends from the second end of the spring element at a first end of the connector island along a second direction toward a second end of the connector island; and

the second direction is orthogonal to the first direction and parallel to a connector island central axis extending along a length of the connector island.

14. The system of claim 8, further comprising an electrical connector coupled to a connector island of the plurality of connector islands.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the electrical connector is configured to mate with a hard drive connector.

16. A system for manufacturing a backplane assembly, the system comprising:

means for forming a connector island assembly in a backplane, the forming comprising;

forming a spring element in a substrate of the backplane, wherein the spring element is separated from a main portion of the substrate and comprises;

a spring element width;

a spring element length orthogonal to and exceeding the spring element width and extending parallel to a spring element central axis;

a first end of the spring element connected to the main portion of the substrate; and

a second end of the spring element opposite the first end of the spring element along the spring element length;

forming a connector island in the substrate, wherein the connector island is separated from the main portion of the substrate and connected to the main portion of the substrate via the spring element, wherein the connector island comprises;

a connector island width;

a connector island length orthogonal to and exceeding the connector island width and extending parallel to a connector island central axis orthogonal to the spring element central axis;

a first end of the connector island connected to the second end of the spring element; and

a second end of the connector island opposite the first end of the connector island along the connector island length;

wherein the connector island assembly is;

surrounded by the main portion of the substrate; and

configured to flex independently of the main portion of the substrate.

17. The system of claim 16, further comprising:

means for positioning the backplane adjacently to a chassis member; and

means for coupling a travel limiter assembly to the chassis member;

wherein;

the travel limiter assembly comprises a connector element extending from a travel limiter frame;

the connector element is coupled to the chassis member and extends from the chassis member through a void in the substrate from a first side of the substrate to a second side of the substrate;

the travel limiter frame is positioned adjacently to the second side of the substrate and is separated from the second side of the substrate by a travel gap; and

the travel limiter frame is configured to contact the connector island assembly in response to at least a portion of the connector island assembly coming into contact with the travel limiter frame due to flexure of at least the spring element of the connector island assembly.

18. The system of claim 17, further comprising:

means for positioning a connector island vibration isolator assembly between the chassis member and the substrate;

wherein the connector island vibration isolator assembly comprises a viscoelastic connector island vibration isolator for the connector island.

19. The system of claim 16, further comprising:

means for forming the connector island assembly via a continuous cutout within the substrate.

20. The system of claim 16, further comprising:

means for forming additional connector island assemblies by forming each connector island assembly of a first set of connector island assemblies within an interior portion of the substrate, wherein the main portion of the substrate encircles each connector island assembly of the first set of connector island assemblies; and

means for forming each connector island assembly of a second set of connector island assemblies adjacently to an edge of the substrate, wherein the main portion of the substrate fails to encircle each connector island assembly of the second set of connector island assemblies.