Storage device testing system cooling

• US 8,687,356 B2
• Filed: 02/02/2010
• Issued: 04/01/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/02/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Teradyne Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Teradyne Incorporated
• Inventors: Merrow, Brian S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Datskovskiy, Michail V
• Application Number:
  US12/698,575
• Publication Number:
  US 20110189934A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,519 Days
• Field of Search: 361/679.31, 361/679.33, 36167946-67953, 361690-697, 361722-727, 165121-126, 165/104.33, 165/185, 454/184, 360/97.02, 360/92.1, 360/31, 360/91, 360/71, 738/625.41, 738/656
• US Class Current: 361/679.47
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/20 Modifications to facilitate cooling, ventilating, or heating

Abstract

A storage device testing system that includes at least one rack, test slots housed by each rack, and at least one air mover in pneumatic communication with the test slots. Each test slot includes a test slot housing having an entrance and an exit, with the entrance configured to receive a storage device. The at least one air mover is configured to move air exterior to the racks into the entrance of each test slot housing, over the received storage device, and out of the exit of each test slot housing.

Claims

1. A method of regulating the temperature of a storage device received in a storage device testing system, the method comprising:

drawing, by a test slot air mover from a common air reservoir, a flow of air into an entrance of a test slot housing of a test slot received in a rack that houses a plurality of test slots, wherein air from the common air reservoir is drawn into at least two of the test slots;

wherein the test slot housing comprises the entrance and an exit, the entrance configured to receive the storage device, and at least one of the entrance and the exit configured for pneumatic communication with an air heat exchanger; and

wherein the air heat exchanger is configured for pneumatic communication with the rack; and

moving, by the test slot air mover, (i) the flow of air that is drawn from the common air reservoir over the storage device received in the test slot, (ii) the flow of air that is drawn from the common air reservoir out the exit of the test slot housing of the test slot, and (iii) the flow of air that is drawn from the common air reservoir through the air heat exchanger at least one of before and after passing over the storage device received in the entrance of the test slot housing.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the test slot air mover controls the flow of air such that the flow of air moves substantially simultaneously over at least top and bottom surfaces of the storage device received in the test slot.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the test slot air mover controls the flow of air such that the flow of air moves out the exit through an air conduit and out of the rack;

and

wherein the air conduit is configured for pneumatic communication with one or more exits of one or more test slot housings of the rack.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the test slot air mover controls the flow of air such that the flow of air moves through the test slots and the air conduit.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the test slot air mover controls the flow of air such that the flow of air moves through the test slots with the test slot air mover and into the air conduit for deliverance out of the rack.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the test slot air mover controls the flow of air such that the flow of air moves out the exit through the air heat exchanger.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the test slot air mover controls the flow of air such that the flow of air moves through an air conduit configured for pneumatic communication with the exit of the test slot of the rack and the air heat exchanger.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the test slot air mover controls the flow of air such that the flow of air moves through the air heat exchanger with an air heat exchanger air mover, the air heat exchanger air mover moving air from the air conduit into an entrance of the air heat exchanger, over cooling elements of the air heat exchanger, and out an exit of the air heat exchanger.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising pumping condensation away from the air heat exchanger.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving the flow of air from over the received storage device into an air mover along a first direction and delivering the air flow from the air mover to the exit along a second direction substantially perpendicular to the first direction.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the test slot air mover controls the flow of air such that the flow of air moves into an air entrance of a storage device transporter received in the entrance of the test slot housing, the storage device transporter supporting the received storage device in pneumatic communication with the air entrance of the storage device transporter.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the test slot air mover controls the flow of air such that the flow of air moves through an air director of the storage device transporter, the air director directing the air flow over at least the top and bottom surfaces of the received storage device.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the storage device transporter has first and second portions, the first portion including the air director, the second portion configured to receive the storage device, the storage device having top, bottom, front, rear, right, and left side surfaces, the front storage device surface having an electrical connector, the method further comprising receiving the storage device with its rear surface substantially facing the first portion of the storage device transporter.