Sealed Bulkhead Electrical Feed-Through Positioning Control

• US 20170352386A1
• Filed: 06/06/2016
• Published: 12/07/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/06/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Western Digital Technologies Incorporated (Western Digital Corporation)
• Original Assignee: HGST Netherlands B.V. (Western Digital Corporation)
• Inventors: Kaneko, Jiro, Onobu, Yuta
• Granted Patent: US 10,741,223 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 33/022 Cases
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 33/122 Arrangements for providing electrical connections, e.g. connectors, cables, switches
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 33/1446 Reducing contamination, e.g. by dust, debris
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 33/1466 sealing gaskets, gasket in general F16J
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 5/0247 Electrical details of casings, e.g. terminals, passages for cables or wiring
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 5/067 containing a dielectric fluid

Abstract

An electrical feed-through, such as a PCB connector, involves at least one positioning protrusion protruding from a main body, and may further include multiple positioning protrusions protruding in respective directions from the main body. A data storage device employing such a feed-through comprises an enclosure base with which the feed-through is coupled, where the base comprises an annular recessed surface surrounding an aperture that is encompassed by the feed-through and is at a first level, and at least one recessed positioning surface at a higher level than the first level and extending in a direction away from the annular recessed surface. The positioning protrusion of the electrical feed-through physically mates with the recessed positioning surface of the base, such that the position of the feed-through is vertically constrained by the recessed positioning surface.

Claims

1. A data storage device comprising:

an electrical feed-through comprising;

one or more layers of insulating material comprising a main body and at least one positioning protrusion protruding from said main body,

a plurality of first electrical terminals on a first side,

a plurality of second electrical terminals on a second side, and

a plurality of vias electrically connecting at least some of said first electrical terminals with corresponding said second electrical terminals through said main body; and

an enclosure base with which said electrical feed-through is coupled, said base comprising;

an aperture encompassed by said electrical feed-through,

an annular recessed surface surrounding said aperture, and

at least one recessed positioning surface at a higher level than said annular recessed surface and extending in a direction away from said annular recessed surface; and

wherein said positioning protrusion of said electrical feed-through physically mates with said recessed positioning surface of said base, such that the position of said electrical feed-through is vertically constrained by said recessed positioning surface.

2. The data storage device of claim 1,

wherein said positioning protrusion is a first positioning protrusion;

wherein said electrical feed-through further comprises a second positioning protrusion protruding from said main body;

wherein said base comprises a plurality of said recessed positioning surfaces at a same planar level and extending in a direction away from said annular recessed surface;

wherein said second positioning protrusion of said electrical feed-through physically mates with one of said plurality of recessed positioning surfaces of said base, such that the position of said electrical feed-through is vertically constrained by said plurality of recessed positioning surfaces.

3. The data storage device of claim 2, wherein said first positioning protrusion protrudes from said particular shape in a first direction and said second positioning protrusion protrudes from said main body in a direction opposing said first direction.

4. The data storage device of claim 3,

wherein said electrical feed-through further comprises a third positioning protrusion protruding from said main body in a direction substantially normal to said first direction;

wherein said third positioning protrusion of said electrical feed-through physically mates with one of said plurality of recessed positioning surfaces of said base, such that the position of said electrical feed-through is vertically constrained by said plurality of recessed positioning surfaces.

5. The data storage device of claim 1, further comprising:

an adhesive positioned between said annular recessed surface and said electrical feed-through and affixing said electrical feed-through to said base.

6. The data storage device of claim 5, wherein said adhesive comprises a preformed solder.

7. The data storage device of claim 1, wherein said base is part of a hermetically-sealed enclosure, said data storage device further comprising:

a lighter-than-air gas contained within said hermetically-sealed enclosure.

8. An electrical feed-through comprising:

one or more layers of insulating material comprising a main body and at least one positioning protrusion protruding from said main body;

a plurality of first electrical terminals on a first side;

a plurality of second electrical terminals on a second side; and

a plurality of vias electrically connecting at least some of said first electrical terminals with corresponding said second electrical terminals through said main body.

9. The electrical feed-through of claim 8, wherein said at least one positioning protrusion is a first positioning protrusion protruding from said main body in a first direction, the electrical feed-through further comprising:

a second positioning protrusion protruding from said main body in a direction opposing said first direction.

10. The electrical feed-through of claim 9, further comprising a third positioning protrusion protruding from said main body in a direction substantially normal to said first direction.

11. The electrical feed-through of claim 8, wherein said first and said second electrical terminals comprise solder pads.

12. The electrical feed-through of claim 8, further comprising:

a connector part having compression-type terminals electrically coupled with said first electrical terminals.

13. A method of assembling a data storage device, the method comprising:

positioning an electrical feed-through in a recess surrounding an aperture in an enclosure base, including positioning a first positioning protrusion protruding from a main body of said electrical feed-through onto a corresponding first recessed positioning surface of said base, such that the position of said electrical feed-through is vertically constrained by said first recessed positioning surface of said base;

wherein said electrical feed-through comprises;

one or more layers of insulating material comprising said main body and said first positioning protrusion,

a plurality of first electrical terminals on a first side,

a plurality of second electrical terminals on a second side, and

a plurality of vias electrically connecting at least some of said first electrical terminals with corresponding said second electrical terminals through said main body.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

prior to positioning said electrical feed-through, positioning an adhesive on an annular recessed surface of said base, wherein said annular recessed surface is stepped down from said first recessed positioning surface;

wherein positioning said electrical feed-through includes positioning said electrical feed-through onto said adhesive.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein said adhesive comprises a preformed solder, the method further comprising:

reflowing said solder by heating said electrical feed-through and said base.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein said base is part of a hermetically-sealed enclosure, the method further comprising:

substantially filling said hermetically-sealed enclosure with a lighter-than-air gas.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein said electrical feed-through comprises a plurality of positioning protrusions protruding from said main body and said base comprises a plurality of corresponding recessed positioning surfaces, and

wherein positioning said electrical feed-through includes positioning a second positioning protrusion of said electrical feed-through, which protrudes in a direction opposing the direction in which the first positioning protrusion protrudes, onto a corresponding second recessed positioning surface of said base, which lies in a substantially same plane as said first recessed positioning surface, such that the position of said electrical feed-through is vertically constrained by said second recessed positioning surface of said base.

18. The method of claim 17,

wherein positioning said electrical feed-through includes positioning a third positioning protrusion of said electrical feed-through, which protrudes in a direction substantially normal to the direction in which the first positioning protrusion protrudes, onto a corresponding third recessed positioning surface of said base, which lies in a substantially same plane as said first recessed positioning surface, such that the position of said electrical feed-through is vertically constrained by said third recessed positioning surface of said base.