Solid State Drive (SSD) With Open Top And Bottom Covers

• US 20080089020A1
• Filed: 10/30/2007
• Published: 04/17/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/16/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Super Talent Technology, Corporation
• Original Assignee: Super Talent Electronics, Inc.
• Inventors: Nan, Nan, Ni, Jim, Ma, Abraham, Li, Qijin, Hiew, Siew
• Granted Patent: US 7,517,231 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 361/684
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 9/0067 Devices for protecting against damage from electrostatic discharge

Abstract

A solid state drive (SSD) device includes a printed-circuit board assembly (PCBA), a connector mounted on the circuit board, an open-frame support-type housing including first and second parallel elongated brackets extending along opposing peripheral edges of said circuit board, each bracket including a first connecting structure for securing the circuit board to the housing, and a second connecting structure for connecting the housing to an internal rack frame of a host system. The open-frame support type housing does not include a top cover and a bottom cover, whereby both of said opposing first and second surfaces are exposed by first and second openings. The housing includes optional end rails that form a box-like frame. The elongated brackets are formed using die-cast metal, stamped metal, or molded plastic with copper posts. Optional clamp-type brackets clamp along side edges of the PCBA.

Claims

1. A solid state drive (SSD) device for providing persistent memory in a host system having an internal rack frame, the SSD device comprising:

a printed-circuit board assembly (PCBA) including a circuit board having opposing first and second surfaces;

a plurality of memory chips mounted to at least one of the first and second surfaces of the circuit board;

a controller chip mounted to one of the first and second surfaces of the circuit board, the controller chip having a input/output interface circuit for interfacing with the host system, and a processing unit for accessing the plurality of memory chips in response to commands from the host system received by the input/output interface circuit;

a connector mounted on the circuit board for connecting the controller chip to the host system; and

an open-frame support-type housing including first and second parallel elongated brackets extending along opposing peripheral edges of said circuit board, each of said first and second brackets including a first connecting structure disposed within said housing for securing said circuit board to said housing, and a second connecting structure disposed on an outside of said housing for connecting to said internal rack frame of said host system,

wherein said open-frame support type housing does not include a top cover and a bottom cover, whereby both of said opposing first and second surfaces are exposed by first and second openings, respectively, that extend between said first and second elongated brackets, and

wherein the connector is disposed in one of said first and second openings.

2. The SSD device of claim 1,

wherein said open-frame support-type housing further comprises first and second end rails that are integrally connected to said first and second brackets such that said first and second end rails and said first and second brackets form a frame,

wherein each of said first and second parallel elongated brackets and said first and second end rails comprises an L-shaped flange having a horizontal flange portion and a vertical flange portion extending perpendicular to the horizontal flange portion, and

wherein said connector is disposed in an opened gap defined in the vertical portion of one of said first and second end rails.

3. The SSD device of claim 2,

wherein each said first connecting structure comprises a support post disposed on an inside surface of said vertical portion of one of said first and second brackets, said support post defining a first screw hole,

wherein said PCBA defines second screw holes,

wherein said PCBA is mounted on said support posts such that the first screw holes are aligned with the second screw holes, and

wherein the SSD device further comprises first screws extending through the second screw holes and into the first screw holes.

4. The SSD device of claim 3,

wherein said open-frame support-type housing further comprises first and second posts disposed on an inside surface of said vertical portion of one of said first and second brackets adjacent to said support post,

wherein said circuit board of said PCBA further comprises alignment grooves defined along the peripheral edge of said circuit board such that when said PCBA is mounted onto said open-frame support-type housing, said posts are received in said alignment groove such that said PCBA is positioned relative to said open-frame support-type housing with said second screw holes aligned to said first screw holes.

5. The SSD device of claim 3,

wherein at least one of said first connecting structures further includes a metal collar disposed on said circuit board around a corresponding said second screw hole, said metal collar being electrically connected to a ground plane of said circuit board by way of metal traces, and

wherein a corresponding one of said first screws extending through said corresponding second screw hole is electrically connected to said metal collar to provide a current path between said ground plane and said open-frame support-type housing.

6. The SSD device of claim 2, wherein each said second connecting structure comprises one or more third screw holes disposed on an outside surface of said vertical portion of one of said first and second brackets.

7. The SSD device of claim 1,

wherein said first and second parallel elongated brackets comprise substantially identical structures,

wherein each said first connecting structure comprises a plurality of screw holes defined in said first and second brackets,

wherein said PCBA defines second screw holes,

wherein said PCBA is mounted on said support posts of each of said first and second parallel elongated brackets such that each first screw hole is aligned with a corresponding one of said second screw holes,

wherein the SSD device further comprises a plurality of first screws, each first screw extending through a corresponding one of said second screw holes and into its corresponding first screw hole, whereby said first and second parallel elongated brackets are connected solely by said PCBA and said first screws.

8. The SSD device of claim 7, wherein each of said first and second parallel elongated brackets comprises a die-cast metal structure including a horizontal flange portion and a vertical flange portion extending perpendicular to the horizontal flange portion,

wherein each said first connecting structure comprises a plurality of support posts disposed on an inside surface of said vertical flange portion of each of said first and second brackets, each said support post defining an associated one of said first screw holes, and

wherein each of said second connecting structures comprises a plurality of third screw holes disposed on an outside surface of said vertical flange portion of each of said first and second brackets.

9. The SSD device of claim 7,

wherein each of said first and second parallel elongated brackets comprises a stamped metal structure including an elongated vertical flange portion,

wherein each said first connecting structure comprises a plurality of horizontal flange portions extending perpendicular to the vertical flange portion of each of said first and second brackets, each said horizontal flange portions defining an associated one of said first screw holes, and

wherein each of said second connecting structures comprises a plurality of third screw holes disposed on an outside surface of said vertical flange portion of each of said first and second brackets.

10. The SSD device of claim 7,

wherein each of said first and second parallel elongated brackets comprises a lower clamp structure and an upper clamp structure, and

wherein each said first connecting structure comprises said first screw holes defined through said lower clamp structure of each of said first and second parallel elongated brackets, and third screw holes defined through said upper clamp structure of each of said first and second parallel elongated brackets, and

wherein each of said first screws extends through an associated third screw hole, through an associated second screw hole, and into an associated first screw hole, whereby said PCBA is clamped between said upper clamp structure and said lower clamp structure of each of said first and second parallel elongated brackets.

11. The SSD device of claim 7,

wherein each of said first and second parallel elongated brackets comprises a molded elongated plastic structure including first and second hollow structures disposed at opposite ends thereof, and first and second metal structures, respectively disposed in said first and second hollow structures of each of said first and second parallel elongated brackets,

wherein each said first connecting structure comprises said first screw holes defined in a first portion of each of said first and second metal structures of each of said first and second brackets, and

wherein each of said second connecting structures comprises a plurality of third screw holes defined in a second portion of each of said first and second metal structures of each of said first and second brackets.