Mounting device for a disk drive unit, releasable fastener and method of testing a disk drive unit

• US 20050219809A1
• Filed: 07/01/2003
• Published: 10/06/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 07/05/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Xyratex Technology Limited (Seagate Technology Holdings Plc)
• Original Assignee: Xyratex Technology Limited (Seagate Technology Holdings Plc)
• Inventors: Saville, William A., Muncaster, Timothy John
• Granted Patent: US 7,164,579 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 361/679.330
• CPC Class Codes: E05C 19/06 in which the securing part if formed or carried by a spring and moves only by distortion of the spring, e.g. snaps
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/184 Mounting of motherboards
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/187 Mounting of fixed and removable disk drives
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/206 comprising thermal management
• 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: G11B 33/142 by air cooling
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 33/144 by detection, control, regulation of the temperature

Abstract

A disk drive unit mounting device is adapted to carry one or plural disk drive units. The mounting device includes a temperature control module and a carrier module secured together y a releasable fastener device so that the temperature control module controls the temperature of the disk drive unit. The temperature control module has an air flow control device for controlling the flow of air across the disk drive unit appropriately according to the required temperature for the disk drive unit. The mounting device may be used in testing disk drive units.

Claims

1. A mounting device for a disk drive unit, the mounting device comprising:

a carrier module constructed and arranged to receive at least one disk drive unit, the carrier module having an air input port, the carrier module being arranged to direct air from the air input port over a disk drive unit received in the carrier module;

a temperature control module comprising an air flow control device, the temperature control module having an air output port; and

,

a releasable fastener for releasably fastening the carrier module to the temperature control module with the air input port of the carrier module in register with the air output port of the temperature control module,

wherein the temperature control module is arranged to provide air to said air input port for controlling the temperature of a said disk drive unit received in the carrier module to be at a predetermined temperature during operation of the disk drive unit.

2. A mounting device according to claim 1, wherein the carrier module has an air outlet port and the temperature control module has an air inlet port, the arrangement being such that when the releasable fastener fastens the carrier module to the temperature control module the air outlet port of the carrier module is in register width with the air inlet port of the temperature control module.

3. A mounting device according to claim 2, wherein the temperature control module has a fan and is arranged to recirculate air from the air outlet port of the carrier module to the air output port of the temperature control module.

4. A mounting device according to claim 1, wherein the releasable fastener comprises a manually releasable hinge pivotally connecting the carrier module and the temperature control module along one edge of the carrier module and the temperature control module and a lever latch for securing the carrier module to the temperature control module along an edge of the carrier module and temperature control module opposite the said one edge.

5. A mounting device according to claim 4, wherein the manually releasable hinge has a pin portion, a receptacle portion and a hook member, the pin portion being secured to and supported substantially parallel to and spaced from a wall of one of said the carrier module and temperature control module, the receptacle portion being formed on the other of the carrier module and the temperature control module, the receptacle portion being constructed and arranged to engage said pin portion, the receptacle portion having a curved wall for abutment by the pin portion and the receptacle formation defining an opening such that the pin portion may be brought into engagement with the curved wall of the receptacle portion via the opening, and the hook member being constructed and arranged to engage the carrier module and the temperature control module to retain the pin portion in engagement with the curved wall of the receptacle portion.

6. A mounting device according to claim 1, wherein the carrier module is constructed and arranged to simultaneously receive plural disk drive units.

7. A mounting device according to claim 6, comprising air flow passages arranged to divide air flow from the output port of the temperature control module for application to each of plural disk drive units received in the carrier module.

8. A mounting device according to claim 6, having air flow passages arranged to combine the air flow from each of plural disk drive units received in the carrier module to provide a single air flow from the carrier module.

9. A mounting device according to claim 7, wherein the passages are arranged to divide the air flow such that air flows in the same direction around each disk drive unit.

10. A mounting device according to claim 7, comprising a baffle that provides said air flow passages, the baffle having a first side having at least one opening for receiving an incoming air flow from the temperature control module, and a second side having plural openings for supplying air to each of plural disk drive units received in the carrier module, the baffle having a deflection structure constructed and arranged to divide the incoming air flow between said plural disk drive units.

11. A mounting device according to claim 10, wherein the second side of the baffle has plural further openings for receiving air from that has flowed over plural disk drive units received in the carrier module, and the first side of the baffle has at least one opening for passing said air to the temperature control module.

12. A mounting device for disk drive units according to claim 11, wherein at said second side of said baffle, said openings and said further openings are interleaved, whereby each of the plural disk drive units has a similar flow of air.

13. A mounting device for disk drive units according to claim 1, wherein the temperature control module has an electrical connection device, the carrier module has a first electrical connector for engaging a disk drive unit received in the carrier module, and the carrier module has a second electrical connector arranged to engage the electrical connection device of the temperature control module when the temperature control module and the carrier module are fastened together.

14. A mounting device for disk drive units according to claim 1, wherein the temperature control module has an electrical connection device, and the carrier module has plural first electrical connectors for engaging respective disk drive units received in the carrier module and a second electrical connector arranged to engage the electrical connection device of the temperature control module when the temperature control module and the carrier module are fastened together.

15. A releasable fastener for fastening together first and second members, the fastener comprising a pin portion for mounting on a first member, a receptacle portion for mounting on a second member and a hook member for engagement with a said first and second member, the receptacle portion being constructed and arranged to engage said pin portion, the receptacle portion having a concave curved wall and defining an opening such that the pin portion may be brought into engagement with the curved wall of the receptacle formation via the opening, and the hook member being constructed and arranged to retain the pin portion engaged with the curved wall of the receptacle portion.

16. A releasable fastener according to claim 15, wherein the arrangement is such that the hook member is under tension when engaged with a said first and second member.

17. A method of testing a disk drive unit in a test device comprising a temperature control module and a carrier module constructed and arranged to support said disk drive unit, wherein the carrier module has an air input port and is arranged to direct air from the air input port over a said disk drive unit received in the carrier module and the temperature control module comprises an air flow control device and has an air output port, the method comprising:

releasably fastening the carrier module to the temperature control module, such that the air input port of the carrier module is in register with the air output port of the temperature control module;

disposing said disk drive unit in said carrier module; and

,

causing the temperature control module to provide air to said air input port to control the temperature of said disk drive unit disposed in the carrier module to be at a predetermined temperature during operation of the disk drive unit.

18. A method of testing a disk drive unit according to claim 17, comprising the step of controlling the flow of air across the disk drive unit to cause air to recirculate directly across the disk drive unit, or to cause chilled air obtained by passing at least a portion of the air that has passed over the disk drive unit through a heat exchanger to flow across the disk drive unit, or to cause a mixture of directly recirculating air and chilled air to flow across the disk drive unit.

19. A method of testing a disk drive unit according to claim 17, wherein the temperature control module and the carrier module each have a respective part of a manual release hinge and the step of releasably fastening comprises engaging the two parts of the hinge, mutually pivotally moving the carrier module and the temperature control module until they abut one another and securing the carrier module to the temperature control module via a lever latch.

20. method of testing a disk drive unit according to claim 17, wherein the carrier module has locations constructed and arranged to simultaneously receive plural disk drive units, and the disposing step comprises disposing at least two disk drive units in respective ones of said locations.

21. A method of testing a disk drive unit according to claim 17, comprising dividing air flow from the outlet of the temperature control module and applying a part of said divided air flow to each of plural disk drive units received in the carrier module, and combining the air flow from each of the disk drive units to provide said outlet from the carrier module.

22. A method of testing a disk drive unit according to claim 21, wherein the dividing step comprises dividing the air flow such that it flows in the same direction around each disk drive unit.

23. A method of testing a disk drive unit according to claim 17, comprising providing plural types of carrier module, each type of module being suitable for a respective one of plural different types of disk drive unit.

24. A method of testing a disk drive unit according to claim 17, wherein the temperature control module has an electrical connection device, the carrier module has a first electrical connector secured thereto for engaging a disk drive unit received in the carrier module, and a second electrical connector arranged to engage the electrical connection device of the temperature control module when the temperature control module and the carrier module are secured together, and said step of disposing comprises connecting the electrical connection device of the disk drive unit to said first electrical connector.

25. A method of testing a disk drive unit according to claim 24, wherein each of said different types of disk drive unit has an electrical connection device which is at least one of differently disposed or differently configured to electrical connection devices of others of said types of disk drive units, the temperature control module has an electrical connection device, each type of carrier module has a respective first electrical connector secured thereto for engaging the electrical connection device of the corresponding type of disk drive unit received in the carrier module, and a second electrical connector arranged to engage the electrical connection device of the temperature control module when the temperature control module and the carrier module are secured together, and said step of disposing comprises connecting the electrical connection device of the disk drive unit to said first electrical connector.