Data storage system, an energy module and a method of providing back-up power to a data storage system

• US 8,755,176 B2
• Filed: 10/12/2011
• Issued: 06/17/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/12/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Xyratex Technology Limited (Seagate Technology Holdings Plc)
• Original Assignee: Xyratex Technology Limited (Seagate Technology Holdings Plc)
• Inventors: Davis, David M., Worrall, Alexander C.
• Primary Examiner(s): CHERVINSKY, BORIS LEO
• Application Number:
  US13/271,818
• Publication Number:
  US 20130094135A1
• Time in Patent Office: 979 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 361/679.01
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 33/128 of the plurality of recording/reproducing devices, e.g. disk drives, onto a chassis

Abstract

The invention provides a data storage system for connection to a primary power source, the data storage system comprising: one or more data storage media; one or more interfaces, each interface able to connect to at least one of the data storage media so as to couple power from the primary power source to the at least one of the data storage media; one or more energy modules, each energy module being able to connect to an interface for providing back-up power to the one or more of the data storage media in the event of a failure of the primary power source.

Claims

1. A data storage system for connection to a primary power source, the data storage system comprising:

one or more data storage media;

one or more interfaces, each interface able to connect to at least one of the data storage media so as to couple power from the primary power source to the at least one of the data storage media;

one or more energy modules, each energy module being able to connect to an interface for providing back-up power to the one or more of the data storage media in the event of a failure of the primary power source wherein, the data storage system has a plurality of power domains each having one or more data storage media, each power domain being powered by the one or more energy modules in the event of a failure of the primary power source.

2. A data storage system according to claim 1, in which the data storage media are provided in a drawer, the interfaces comprising one or more baseplanes within the drawer to which the data storage media are coupled.

3. A data storage system according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the one or more energy modules is a rechargeable energy module.

4. A data storage system according to claim 3, wherein at least one of the one or more rechargeable energy modules is a supercapacitor module or a rechargeable battery.

5. A data storage system according to claim 1, at least one of the domains having at least two energy modules.

6. A data storage system according to claim 5, in which each of the domains has at least two energy modules.

7. A data storage system according to claim 1, in which the energy modules are sized to correspond to the size of the data storage media.

12. A data storage system according to claim 2, in which the baseplane is provided at the bottom of the drawer and arranged to receive the data storage media and energy modules from above.

8. A rechargeable energy module for providing back-up power to one of a plurality of power domains within a data storage system, the rechargeable energy module comprising:

a power detector to detect when a primary power source has failed;

a power output, and

one or more rechargeable energy cells, wherein power from the one or more rechargeable energy cells is drawn from the power output when the power detector has detected that a primary power source has failed.

9. A rechargeable energy module according to claim 8, comprising a switch to switch power from the one or more rechargeable energy cells to the power output when the power detector has detected that the primary power source has failed.

10. A rechargeable energy module according to claim 9, in which the module is sized to correspond to the standard form factor of a storage medium.

11. A method of providing back-up power to a data storage system having a plurality of power domains each having one or more data storage media and comprising a primary power source for providing power to the data storage system, the method comprising:

providing one or more energy modules to each of the plurality of power domains within the storage system and, when the primary power source fails, powering one or more of the storage media from the one or more energy modules.