COMPUTER COMPONENT CONNECTOR

• US 20140078664A1
• Filed: 03/15/2013
• Published: 03/20/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/14/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Spaulding, Jeffrey S., Dalal, Jinal, Lau, Michael Chi Kin
• Granted Patent: US 9,225,087 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 361/679.33
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/68 Testing of releasable connections, e.g. of terminals mounted on a printed circuit board
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/187 Mounting of fixed and removable disk drives
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 33/02 Cabinets; Cases; Stands; Disposition of apparatus therein or thereon
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 33/08 Insulation or absorption of undesired vibrations or sounds
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 12/716 Coupling device provided on the PCB
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 12/771 Details
• 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 2201/06 for computer periphery

Abstract

A computer component mounting assembly includes a carrier to support a hard drive and a data connector. The carrier is configured to slidably receive the hard drive along a first axis. The data connector includes a first connector configured to mate to pins of the hard drive, a second connector configured to mate to a SATA data connector, and a flexible cable connecting the two. The first connector includes an alignment feature to engage a corresponding alignment feature on the hard drive. The first connector is coupled to the carrier and slidable in a plane perpendicular to the first axis, and the first connector is configured such that when carrier receives the hard drive and the alignment feature engages the corresponding alignment feature the first connector moves in the plane perpendicular to the first axis to provide alignment of the first connector to the pins of the hard drive.

Claims

1. A computer component mounting assembly, comprising:

a carrier to support a hard disk drive, the carrier including a front face having an opening, and wherein the carrier configured to slidably receive the hard disk drive into the opening and along a first axis; and

a data connector including;

a first connector configured to mate to pins of the hard disk drive, the first connector supported on the carrier and positioned at a back side of the carrier on a side of the carrier opposite the front face, the first connector including an alignment feature to engage a corresponding alignment feature on the hard disk drive, the first connector coupled to the carrier and slidable in a plane perpendicular to the first axis, the first connector configured such that when carrier receives the hard disk drive and the alignment feature engages the corresponding alignment feature the first connector moves in the plane perpendicular to the first axis to provide alignment of the first connector to the pins of the hard disk drive,

a second connector configured to mate to a SATA data connector, and

a flexible cable connecting the first connector to the second connector.

2. The mounting assembly of claim 1, wherein the carrier includes a back plate at the back side of the carrier, the back plate parallel to the plane, and wherein the back plate extends into a guide slot in a side of the first connector such that the first connector is vertically slidable relative to the back plate.

3. The mounting assembly of claim 2, wherein the back plate includes a notch having a top edge, and a portion of the first connector projects into the notch, the portion and the notch configured such that the top edge of the notch limits upward travel of the first connector.

4. The mounting assembly of claim 3, wherein the carrier includes a bottom plate, the back plate extending vertically from the bottom plate, and wherein the bottom plate limits downward travel of the first connector.

5. The mounting assembly of claim 1, wherein the carrier include a back plate at the back side of the carrier, the back plate having an aperture separating the back plate into a first portion and a second portion, and wherein the first portion of the back plate extends into a first guide slot on a first side of the first connector and the second portion of the back plate extends into a second guide slot on a second side of the first connector opposite the first side.

6. The mounting assembly of claim 5, wherein a width of the aperture is greater than a width of the first connector between the first guide slot and the second guide slot.

7. The mounting assembly of claim 5, wherein the first portion of the back plate includes a first notch having a first top edge, and a first portion of the first connector on the first side projects into the first notch, and the second portion of the back plate includes a second notch having a second top edge, and a second portion of the first connector on the second side projects into the second notch, the first portion of the first connector and the first notch configured such that the first top edge of the first notch limits upward travel of the first side of the first connector, and the second portion of the first connector and the second notch configured such that the second top edge of the second notch limits upward travel of the second side of the first connector.

8. The mounting assembly of claim 7, wherein the carrier includes a bottom plate, the back plate extending vertically from the bottom plate, and wherein the bottom plate limits downward travel of the first connector.

9. The mounting assembly of claim 7, wherein each of the first portion and the second portion of the first connector are flexible in a second axis perpendicular to the first axis.

10. The mounting assembly of claim 8, wherein each of the first portion of the first connector and the second portion of the first connector include a horizontal top surface and a slanted outer surface.

11. The mounting assembly of claim 1, wherein the first connector has a smaller range of motion along the first axis than perpendicular to the first axis.

12. The mounting assembly of claim 11, wherein the first connector has a vertical range of motion of about 0.015 inches.

13. The mounting assembly of claim 1, wherein the first connector comprises a plurality of pins extending parallel to the first axis, the plurality of pins spaced apart along a second axis perpendicular to the first axis.

14. The mounting assembly of claim 13, wherein the carrier includes a bottom plate, the back plate extending vertically from the bottom plate, and wherein the second axis is parallel to the bottom plate.

15. The mounting assembly of claim 13, wherein the flexible cable extends upward from the first connector parallel to the plane.

16. The mounting assembly of claim 1, wherein the flexible cable include data cabling having a first insulative sheath and power cabling having a second separate insulative sheath spaced apart from the first insulative sheath.

17. The mounting assembly of claim 1, wherein the second connector includes a plurality of pins extending parallel to a second axis, and the flexible cable protrudes from the second connector at an acute angle relative to the first axis.

18. The mounting assembly of claim 1, wherein the first connector is rotatable about the first axis, and wherein the first connector is configured such that when carrier receives the hard disk drive and the alignment feature engages the corresponding alignment feature the first connector rotates about the first axis to provide the alignment.

19. A computer component mounting assembly, comprising:

a carrier to support a hard disk drive, the carrier including a front face having an opening, and wherein the carrier configured to slidably receive the hard disk drive into the opening and along a first axis; and

a data connector including;

a first connector configured to mate to pins of the hard disk drive, the first connector supported on the carrier and positioned at a back side of the carrier on a side of the carrier opposite the front face, the first connector including an alignment feature to engage a corresponding alignment feature on the hard disk drive, the first connector coupled to the carrier, wherein the first connector has rotational float about the first axis, the first connector configured such that when carrier receives the hard disk drive and the alignment feature engages the corresponding alignment feature the first connector rotates about the first axis to provide alignment of the first connector to the pins of the hard disk drive,

a second connector configured to mate to a SATA data connector, and

a flexible cable connecting the first connector to the second connector.

20. A data connector including;

a first connector configured to mate to pins of the hard disk drive;

a second connector configured to mate to a SATA connector of a printed circuit board, the second connector including a plurality of pins extending parallel to a first axis; and

a flexible cable connecting the first connector to the second connector, wherein the flexible cable protrudes from the second connector at an acute angle relative to the first axis.

21. The data connector of claim 20, wherein the plurality of pins are spaced apart along a second axis perpendicular to the first axis, and a portion of the flexible cable includes wires spaced apart along the second axis.

22. The data connector of claim 20, wherein the acute angle is between 20°

and 45°

.

23. A printed circuit board assembly, comprising:

a printed circuit board having a plurality of SATA connectors arranged in a column along a first axis, the SATA connectors including pins spaced apart along a second axis perpendicular to the first axis, the pins extending parallel to the first axis;

a plurality of data connectors, each data connector including

a first connector configured to mate to pins of the hard disk drive;

a second connector mated to a SATA connector of the plurality of SATA connectors, and

a flexible cable connecting the first connector to the second connector, wherein the flexible cable protrudes from the second connector at an acute angle relative to the first axis.

24. A method for detecting that a hard disk drive is inserted into a carrier, comprising:

supporting a first connector of a data connector on the carrier, the first connector configured to mate to pins of the hard disk drive;

applying power to a first pin of the first connector;

sensing whether a signal on second pin of the first connector shifts from low to high when power is applied to the first pin.