Storage device

• US 7,965,502 B2
• Filed: 05/07/2010
• Issued: 06/21/2011
• 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): Hoffberg; Robert J
• Application Number:
  US12/775,774
• Publication Number:
  US 20100220436A1
• Time in Patent Office: 410 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, 165/80.3, 312/236, 454/184
• US Class Current: 361/679.48
• 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

A storage device includes an enclosure, a plurality of drive connectors within the enclosure to which media drives are connected, a cooling fan in the enclosure, a backboard positioned to divide an interior space of the enclosure in an anteroposterior direction, and a plurality of temperature-dependent devices disposed behind the backboard. Air is taken in via an enclosure front face from outside the enclosure due to the cooling fan'"'"'s rotation, flows through the interior space of the enclosure, and passes through the backboard. The backboard has all or some of the drive connectors on a front face thereof, arranged in a matrix configuration having a plurality of rows and a plurality of columns. The plurality of drive connectors includes two first drive connectors, each first drive connector connected to a user-detachable media drive and located in a same column of the matrix configuration.

Claims

1. A storage device, comprising:

an enclosure having an interior space;

a plurality of drive connectors provided within the enclosure and to which media drives are connected, the plurality of drive connectors including pre-installed connectors, a first expansion drive connector and a second expansion drive connector, the media drives including at least one pre-installed media drive connected to a respective pre-installed connector of the pre-install connectors, the plurality of drive connectors being arranged in a matrix configuration having a plurality of rows and a plurality of columns;

an expansion slot member having a smaller number of expansion drive slots than a number of the at least one pre-installed media drive, a first expansion media drive of the media drives that is inserted via the a first expansion drive slot of the expansion slot member is connected to the first expansion connector, the first expansion media drive installed so as to be detachable by a user, the first expansion drive connector is located in a same column of the plurality of columns of the matrix configuration as the second expansion drive connector;

a cooling fan provided in the enclosure;

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

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 the interior space of the enclosure, and then passes through the backboard.

2. The storage device according to claim 1, wherein the first expansion connector and the second expansion drive connector are located in a right-most column of the plurality of columns of the matrix configuration.

3. The storage device according to claim 1, wherein the first expansion connector and the second expansion drive connector are located in a left-most column of the plurality of columns of the matrix configuration.

4. The storage device according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of columns includes a first column in front of a power device of the plurality of temperature-dependent devices and a second column in front of a battery of the plurality of temperature-dependent devices, the first column has a higher priority than the second column when connecting at least one of the media drives to at least one of the plurality of drive connectors, such that one of the media drives is connected in a row of the plurality of rows of the first column before connecting another one of the media drives to the row of the second column.

5. The storage device according to claim 4, wherein the plurality of rows of the matrix configuration includes three rows and a middle row of the three rows has a higher priority when connecting the at least one of the media drives to the at least one of the plurality of drive connectors, such that the entire middle row of connectors have connected media drives before connecting another media drive of the media drives in a row other than the middle row of the three rows.

6. The storage device according to claim 5, wherein the plurality of columns of the matrix configuration includes a third column and a fourth column in front of a controller of the temperature-dependent devices, the third and fourth columns having priority over the first and second columns, such that when connecting the at least one of the media drives to the at least one of the plurality of drive connectors, the entire third column and fourth column of the plurality of connectors have the connected media drives before connecting another media drive in the first or second column.

7. The storage device according to claim 5, wherein a bottom row of the three rows has a higher priority than a top row of the three rows, when connecting the at least one of the media drives to the at least one of the plurality of drive connectors after the entire middle row of connectors have the connected media drives.

8. The storage device according to claim 1, wherein the at least one pre-installed media drive comprises two or more undetachably connected media drives that are connected to two or more of the pre-installed connectors respectively.

9. The storage device according to claim 8, wherein the two or more undetachably connected pre-installed media drives are located on a rear face of the backboard.