SHAPE MEMORY ALLOY LOCKING MECHANISM

• US 20120308294A1
• Filed: 06/06/2011
• Published: 12/06/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/06/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lenovo International Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Corcoran, Philip M., Eckberg, Eric A., Rico, Joseph D., Seminaro, Edward J.
• Granted Patent: US 8,827,331 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 403/33
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 2015/0468 made of one piece with a lock part
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 2015/0493 Overcenter springs
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 47/0009 with thermo-electric actuators, e.g. heated bimetals
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 65/104 actuated in response to heat, e.g. with fusible element, bimetal, memory shape or swelling material
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/183 Internal mounting support structures, e.g. for printed circuit boards, internal connecting means for buses G06F13/409
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/187 Mounting of fixed and removable disk drives
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 33/125 the apparatus comprising a plurality of recording/reproducing devices, e.g. modular arrangements, arrays of disc drives
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 33/128 of the plurality of recording/reproducing devices, e.g. disk drives, onto a chassis
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 3/0004 Devices wherein the heating current flows through the material to be heated Circuit arrangements for heating by passing the current directly across the material to be heated H05B3/0023; granular, powdered or fluid material H05B3/60
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 269/903 Work holder for electrical circuit assemblages or wiring systems
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 292/38 Plastic latch parts
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 292/1047 Closure
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 292/57 Operators with knobs or handles

Abstract

A hardware retention mechanism comprising a frame including a first guide shoulder and a pivot point; an actuator arm including a first guide post; and a first shape memory alloy wire strung between the first guide shoulder and the first guide post that rotates the actuator arm between a locked position and an unlocked position. The actuator arm is rotatable around the pivot point between a locked position and an unlocked position. In some embodiments, the frame may further comprise a second guide shoulder, the actuator arm may further comprise a second guide post, and a second shape memory alloy wire may be strung between the second guide shoulder and the second guide post that rotates the actuator arm between an unlocked position and a locked position.

Claims

1. A hardware retention mechanism, comprising:

a frame comprising a first guide shoulder and a pivot point;

an actuator arm comprising a first guide post, the actuator arm rotatable around the pivot point between a locked position and an unlocked position; and

a first shape memory alloy wire strung between the first guide shoulder and the first guide post that rotates the actuator arm between a locked position and an unlocked position.

2. The hardware retention mechanism of claim 1:

wherein the frame further comprises a second guide shoulder;

wherein the actuator arm further comprises a second guide post; and

further comprising a second shape memory alloy wire strung between the second guide shoulder and the second guide post that rotates the actuator arm between an unlocked position and a locked position.

3. The retention mechanism of claim 2, further comprising an over-center feature that biases the actuator arm into one of the unlocked position or the unlocked position.

4. The hardware retention mechanism of claim 2, wherein the over-center feature comprises:

a detent attached to the frame; and

a curved spring member integrated into the actuator arm that biases against the post, whereby the actuator arm rotates away from a neutral position.

5. The hardware retention mechanism of claim 3, wherein the over-center feature biases the locking pin into one of the unlocked position or the unlocked position without external power.

6. The hardware retention mechanism of claim 2, further comprising a manual override feature that enables manual biasing of the actuator arm between the locked position and the unlocked position.

7. The hardware retention mechanism of claim 2, wherein the actuator arm comprises a locking pin.

8. The computer hardware retention mechanism of claim 7, further comprising:

a carrier adapted to receive the frame, the carrier comprising a carrier locking slot;

a release tab coupled to the carrier, the release tab comprising a tab locking slot;

wherein the locking pin engages both the carrier locking slot and the tab locking slot when the actuator arm is in the locked position.

9. The computer hardware retention mechanism of claim 8, wherein the locking pin and the carrier cooperate to physically prevent the carrier from being removed from a device rack when the locking pin is in the locked position.

10. The computer hardware retention mechanism of claim 7:

wherein the locking pin is integrated into a first end of the actuator arm;

wherein the over-center mechanism integrated into an opposite end of the actuator arm; and

wherein the actuator arm further comprises an integrated pivot pin between the locking pin and an over-center mechanism.

11. The computer hardware retention mechanism of claim 2, wherein the first and second shape memory alloy actuators comprise redundant actuator structures, whereby no single failure may cause disablement of locking pin bias control.

12. The computer hardware retention mechanism of claim 2, further comprising two wire connectors removeably coupled to the frame adjacent to the first and second guide shoulders.

13. A disk drive frame locking mechanism, comprising:

a frame comprising a plurality of guide shoulders and a pivot point;

a carrier adapted to receive the frame, the carrier including a main latch adapted for selectable engagement with a receiver;

an actuator arm comprising a plurality of integrated wire guide posts located between an integrated locking pin and an integrated over-center mechanism;

a first set of redundant shape memory alloy wires, each strung between one of the plurality of guide shoulders and one of the plurality of integrated guide posts, that rotate the actuator arm around the pivot point when electrically heated such that the locking pin engages with the main latch, thereby preventing the main latch from being disengaged from the receiver; and

a second set of redundant shape memory alloy wires, each strung between one of the plurality of guide shoulders and one of the plurality of integrated guide posts, that rotate the locking pin around the pivot point when electrically heated such that the locking pin disengages from the main latch, thereby allowing the main latch to be disengaged from the receiver;

wherein the over-center feature maintains a position of the actuator arm without external power.

14. A method for selectively locking computer hardware, comprising:

electrically heating a first shape memory alloy wire strung between a first guide shoulder of a frame and a first guide post of an actuator arm to rotate the actuator arm relative to the frame from an unlocked position into a locked position;

electrically heating a second shape memory alloy actuator wire strung between a second guide shoulder of the frame and a second guide post of the actuator arm to rotate the actuator arm relative to the frame from the locked position into the unlocked position;

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the actuator arm includes an over-center feature that automatically maintains the actuator arm without electrical power in one of:

the unlocked position and the unlocked position.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the actuator arm comprises an integrated curved spring member, whereby the integrated curved spring member biases the actuator arm away from a neutral position.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein actuator arm further comprises a locking pin adapted to selectively engage a locking slot in a carrier.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the locking pin and the carrier cooperate to physically prevent the carrier from being removed from a device rack when the locking pin is in the locked position.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein the first and second shape memory alloy wires each comprise redundant actuator structures.