Storage device

• US 7,719,834 B2
• Filed: 01/14/2008
• Issued: 05/18/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/13/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Miyamoto, Kenichi, Yokoi, Chikazu
• Primary Examiner(s): Gandhi; Jayprakash N
• Assistant Examiner(s): HOFFBERG, ROBERT JOSEPH
• Application Number:
  US12/007,592
• Publication Number:
  US 20080253077A1
• Time in Patent Office: 855 Days
• Field of Search: 361/679.02, 36167931-67933, 361/679.37, 361/679.39, 361/679.46, 361/679.48, 361/690, 361/692, 361694-695, 361715-716, 312/223.2, 312/236, 454/184, 165/80.3
• US Class Current: 361/695
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/187 Mounting of fixed and removable disk drives
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0601 Interfaces specially adapted for storage systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0673 Single storage device
• 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

Abstract

Two or more media drives that cannot be detached by the user are pre-installed in an enclosure. An expansion slot member having the smaller number of expansion drive slots than the number of media drives that can be pre-installed are provided. The media drives that are installed via the expansion drive slots are installed so as to be detached by the user.

Claims

1. A storage device, comprising:

an enclosure;

a plurality of drive connectors provided within the enclosure and to which media drives are connected;

two or more media drives which are connected beforehand to two or more drive connectors among the plurality of drive connectors and which are installed so as to be undetachable by a user;

an expansion slot member having a smaller number of expansion drive slots than the number of media drives that can be pre-installed, the plurality of drive connectors being constituted by a first drive connector to which a media drive that is inserted via the expansion drive slot is connected and a second drive connector to which a pre-installed media drive is connected, the media drive connected to the first drive connector being installed so as to be detachable by the user;

a cooling fan provided in the enclosure;

a backboard which is a circuit substrate having all or some of the plurality of drive connectors on the front face thereof and which is disposed so as to divide an interior space of the enclosure in an anteroposterior direction;

a plurality of temperature-dependent devices disposed behind the backboard, wherein

air is taken in via an enclosure front face from outside the enclosure as a result of rotation of the cooling fan, flows through an interior of the enclosure, and then passes through the backboard; and

a media drive is connected beforehand to a second drive connector other than a certain drive connector on the backboard, wherein the plurality of temperature-dependent devices include a battery and a power device; and

a media drive is not connected to a drive connector in front of the battery and a media drive is connected to a drive connector that is in front of the power device.

2. The storage device according to claim 1, wherein a media drive and a controller are connected beforehand to a rear face of the backboard, and the battery is provided in front of the power device and in the space produced between the media drive and the controller.

3. A storage device, comprising:

an enclosure;

a plurality of drive connectors provided within the enclosure and to which media drives are connected;

two or more media drives which are connected beforehand to two or more drive connectors among the plurality of drive connectors and which are installed so as to be undetachable by a user;

an expansion slot member having a smaller number of expansion drive slots than the number of media drives that can be pre-installed, the plurality of drive connectors being constituted by a first drive connector to which a media drive that is inserted via the expansion drive slot is connected and a second drive connector to which a pre-installed media drive is connected, the media drive connected to the first drive connector being installed so as to be detachable by the user; and

a backboard which is a circuit substrate having a plurality of drive connectors, wherein each of the plurality of drive connectors is an SAS drive connector wherein

the two or more media drives that are undetachably pre-installed are constituted by SATA drives, and each SATA drive is connected to a second drive connector via an interface conversion device; and

each of the one or more first drive connectors is provided with a protrusion that enters a cutout that is absent from the connector of a SATA drive but which exists in the connector of a SAS drive in cases where the SAS drive is connected.

4. A storage device, comprising:

an enclosure;

a plurality of drive connectors provided within the enclosure and to which media drives are connected;

two or more media drives which are connected beforehand to two or more drive connectors among the plurality of drive connectors and which are installed so as to be undetachable by a user;

an expansion slot member having a smaller number of expansion drive slots than the number of media drives that can be pre-installed, the plurality of drive connectors being constituted by a first drive connector to which a media drive that is inserted via the expansion drive slot is connected and a second drive connector to which a pre-installed media drive is connected, the media drive connected to the first drive connector being installed so as to be detachable by the user; and

a backboard which is a circuit substrate having a plurality of drive connectors, wherein each of the plurality of drive connectors is a SAS drive connector wherein

in cases where the two or more media drives that are undetachably pre-installed are constituted by SATA drives, each SATA drive is connected to a second drive connector via an interface conversion device;

a hole is made in the vicinity of the first drive connector of the backboard;

a protrusion that enters the hole is provided in a position of the interface conversion device that faces the hole in the backboard in cases where the interface conversion device is attached as an accessory and the interface conversion device is connected to the first drive connector; and

the interface conversion device that is attached as an accessory is a device that is attached to a SATA drive that is inserted in the expansion drive slot.

5. The storage device according to claim 4, wherein, in cases where the two or more media drives that are undetachably pre-installed are constituted by SAS drives, the hole in the backboard is covered beforehand.

6. A storage device, comprising:

an enclosure;

a plurality of drive connectors provided within the enclosure and to which media drives are connected;

two or more media drives which are connected beforehand to two or more drive connectors among the plurality of drive connectors and which are installed so as to be undetachable by a user; and

an expansion slot member having a smaller number of expansion drive slots than the number of media drives that can be pre-installed,

the plurality of drive connectors being constituted by a first drive connector to which a media drive that is inserted via the expansion drive slot is connected and a second drive connector to which a pre-installed media drive is connected, the media drive connected to the first drive connector being installed so as to be detachable by the user, wherein

the expansion slot member has a door that opens and closes the expansion drive slot;

the door is a set of two doors that are spaced vertically in a height direction of the enclosure, and the two doors are constituted to open in a direction of insertion of a media drive; and

the expansion drive slot is in a position spaced apart in a forward direction by a distance equal to or more than widths of each of the two doors from the front face of the media drive connected to the first drive connector.

7. The storage device according to claim 6, wherein a first front bezel, which covers the front faces of the pre-installed media drives, and the surface of which is constituted by an insulator, is undetachably attached to the front face of the enclosure;

an insulating second front bezel is detachably attached to the doors; and

the attached first front bezel is substantially flush with the attached second front bezel.

8. A storage device, comprising:

an enclosure;

a plurality of drive connectors provided within the enclosure and to which media drives are connected;

two or more media drives which are connected beforehand to two or more drive connectors among the plurality of drive connectors and which are installed so as to be undetachable by a user; and

an expansion slot member having a smaller number of expansion drive slots than the number of media drives that can be pre-installed, the plurality of drive connectors being constituted by a first drive connector to which a media drive that is inserted via the expansion drive slot is connected and a second drive connector to which a pre-installed media drive is connected, the media drive connected to the first drive connector being installed so as to be detachable by the user, wherein

each of the media drives connected to the drive connector is the media drive itself not attached to a canister,

a first front bezel that covers front faces of the media drives that are pre-installed within the enclosure toward the front face of the enclosure is undetachably attached to the front face of the enclosure;

a second front bezel that covers the expansion drive slot is detachably attached; and

pushable sections that push the media drives are installed on rear faces of the first and second front bezels.

9. The storage device according to claim 8, wherein the pushable sections are respectively elastic members that are provided in respective positions facing the respective media drives.

10. The storage device according to claim 8, comprising a backboard which is a circuit substrate having a plurality of drive connectors, wherein each of the plurality of drive connectors is a SAS drive connector;

in cases where the two or more media drives that are undetachably pre-installed are constituted by SATA drives, each SATA drive is connected to a second drive connector via an interface conversion device and, in cases where the two or more media drives that are undetachably pre-installed are constituted by SAS drives, each SAS drive is connected directly to a second drive connector without involvement of an interface conversion device that is interposed between the SATA drive and SAS drive connector in order to connect the SATA drive to the SAS drive connector;

a distance from the rear faces of the first and second front bezels to the media drives that are connected to the drive connectors differs depending on whether the media drives are SAS drives or SATA drives; and

the pushable sections are constituted to push the SAS drives or SATA drives by means of a stronger force than a force that would cause these drives to fall out in a state where the first and second front bezels are attached irrespective of the distance from the rear faces of the first and second front bezels to the front faces of the respective media drives.

11. A storage device, comprising:

an enclosure;

a plurality of drive connectors provided within the enclosure and to which media drives are connected;

two or more media drives which are connected beforehand to two or more drive connectors among the plurality of drive connectors and which are installed so as to be undetachable by a user;

an expansion slot member having a smaller number of expansion drive slots than the number of media drives that can be pre-installed, the plurality of drive connectors being constituted by a first drive connector to which a media drive that is inserted via the expansion drive slot is connected and a second drive connector to which a pre-installed media drive is connected, the media drive connected to the first drive connector being installed so as to be detachable by the user;

a cooling fan that is provided in the enclosure;

two controller substrates that are each disposed horizontally within the enclosure;

a power device that is provided in the enclosure;

a battery that is provided in the enclosure; and

a backboard which is a circuit substrate which has all or some of the plurality of drive connectors on a front face thereof, and which has a controller connector to which the controller is connected and a power connector to which the power device is connected on a rear face thereof, and which is disposed to divide an interior space of the enclosure in an anteroposterior direction, wherein

air is taken in from outside the enclosure via a front face of the enclosure as a result of rotation of the cooling fan, flows through an interior of the enclosure and then passes through the backboard;

the two controller substrates each have a processor and, as a result of being disposed facing each other, the processors do not overlap in a planar view;

the battery is provided in front of the power device which is a space that is produced between the controller and the media drives that are connected beforehand to a rear face of the backboard;

a power cable connector connected to the power device is provided on a rear face of the enclosure and the power device and the power connector on the rear face of the backboard are connected by means of a cable; and

a battery control circuit substrate for controlling charge/discharge of the battery is provided behind the battery and the battery control circuit substrate and the battery are connected by means of a cable.

12. The storage device according to claim 11, wherein

a first front bezel, which covers front faces of the media drives that are pre-installed within the enclosure toward the front face of the enclosure, and the surface of which is constituted by an insulator, is undetachably attached to the front face of the enclosure;

the expansion slot member has a conductive door that opens and closes the expansion drive slot; and

at least a portion of an upper surface of the enclosure is covered by a detachable enclosure cover that has a member that surrounds the power cable connector.