High density data storage system with improved storage device access

• US 20140203696A1
• Filed: 01/23/2013
• Published: 07/24/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/23/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dot Hill Systems Corporation (Seagate Technology Holdings Plc)
• Original Assignee: Dot Hill Systems Corporation (Seagate Technology Holdings Plc)
• Inventors: Rust, Brenden Michael, Morris, Charles Powell
• Granted Patent: US 9,763,350 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 312/330.1
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 33/02 Cabinets; Cases; Stands; Disposition of apparatus therein or thereon
• 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: H05K 7/14 Mounting supporting structure in casing or on frame or rack
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/1421 Drawers for printed circuit boards
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49826 Assembling or joining

Abstract

A storage enclosure includes a chassis, which includes a plurality of drawers arranged horizontally in the chassis. Each drawer of the plurality of drawers is extendable through a front surface of the chassis and is able to mount one or more side-accessible storage devices. For any drawer of the plurality of drawers bordering a side surface of the chassis, when the drawer is extended all storage devices are inserted to or removed from the drawer through an opposite side of the drawer to the side surface of the chassis.

Claims

1. A storage enclosure, comprising:

a chassis, comprising;

a plurality of drawers arranged horizontally in the chassis, wherein each drawer of the plurality of drawers is extendable through a front surface of the chassis and is able to mount one or more side-accessible storage devices, wherein for any drawer of the plurality of drawers bordering a side surface of the chassis, when the drawer is extended all storage devices are inserted to or removed from the drawer through an opposite side of the drawer to the side surface of the chassis.

2. The storage enclosure of claim 1, wherein no drawer requires top or bottom access to insert or remove a storage device, wherein any storage device may be inserted or removed from any extended drawer of the plurality of drawers even if any side surface of the chassis is parallel to and in contact with a wall and the wall is adjacent to the extended drawer.

3. The storage enclosure of claim 2, wherein only one drawer of the plurality of drawers is extendable through the front surface of the chassis at the same time.

4. The storage enclosure of claim 2, wherein the storage enclosure is rackmountable, wherein access to any drawer or storage device is not affected by vertical position of the storage enclosure within a rack or other modules or storage enclosures vertically adjacent to the storage enclosure.

5. The storage enclosure of claim 2, wherein each drawer of the plurality of drawers is slidingly engaged to the chassis on one or more slides on at least one of a bottom and a side surface of the drawer, wherein the one or more slides allow each drawer to be extended a predetermined distance from the chassis.

6. The storage enclosure of claim 5, wherein each drawer remains fully functional when the drawer is extended the predetermined distance from the chassis, wherein fully functional comprises power is provided to the drawer and each storage device in the drawer and communication paths are enabled between the drawer and the storage enclosure.

7. The storage enclosure of claim 6, wherein communication paths are enabled between the drawer and the storage enclosure comprises bidirectional communication may occur between the drawer and any storage devices in the drawer and one or more storage controllers in the storage enclosure.

8. The storage enclosure of claim 6, wherein the storage enclosure comprises three drawers, wherein each drawer stores up to sixteen storage devices.

9. The storage enclosure of claim 6, wherein each drawer is mechanically and electrically independent from all other drawers of the plurality of drawers, wherein power failures in any one drawer are prevented from affecting any other drawer of the plurality of drawers.

10. A method of manually accessing a storage device in a storage enclosure, comprising:

pulling a drawer of a plurality of drawers outwardly from a front surface of a chassis comprising the plurality of drawers, wherein the plurality of drawers are arranged horizontally in the chassis;

performing one of inserting and removing a storage device from the drawer; and

pushing the drawer into the chassis,

wherein each drawer is extendable through the front surface of the chassis and is able to mount one or more side-accessible storage devices, wherein for any drawer of the plurality of drawers bordering a side surface of the chassis, when the drawer is extended all storage devices are installed or removed from the drawer through an opposite side of the drawer to the side surface of the chassis.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein no drawer requires top or bottom access to insert or remove a storage device, wherein any storage device may be inserted or removed from any drawer of the plurality of drawers even if any side surface of the chassis is parallel to and in contact with a wall and the wall is adjacent to the drawer extended a predetermined distance.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein each drawer of the plurality of drawers is slidingly engaged to the chassis on one or more slides on at least one of a bottom and a side surface of the drawer, wherein pulling comprises allowing each drawer to be extended a predetermined distance from the front surface of the chassis.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein each drawer remains fully functional when the drawer is extended up to the predetermined distance from the chassis, fully functional comprising:

providing power from the chassis to the drawer and each storage device in the drawer; and

enabling communication paths between each storage device and the drawer and the drawer and one or more storage controllers in the storage enclosure.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the storage enclosure comprises three drawers, wherein each drawer stores up to sixteen storage devices.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein each drawer is mechanically and electrically independent from all other drawers in the plurality of drawers, wherein power failures in any one drawer are prevented from affecting any other drawer in the plurality of drawers.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein only one drawer of the plurality of drawers is extendable through the front surface of the chassis at the same time.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the storage enclosure is rackmountable, wherein access to any drawer or storage device is not affected by vertical position of the storage enclosure within a rack or other modules or storage enclosures vertically adjacent to the storage enclosure.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein there are three drawers in the plurality of drawers, wherein storage devices in two of the three drawers of the plurality of drawers are accessed from only one side, wherein storage devices in the third drawer of the plurality of drawers are accessed from only the opposite side as the other two drawers of the plurality of drawers.

19. A storage enclosure for storing a plurality of storage devices, comprising:

a rackmountable chassis;

a left drawer;

a right drawer; and

a center drawer, wherein the center drawer is horizontally located between the left drawer and the right drawer,

wherein the left drawer, center drawer, and right drawer are independently extendable up to a predetermined distance through a front surface of the chassis, wherein each drawer stores one or more side-accessible storage devices, wherein storage devices in the left drawer are inserted or removed only through the right side of the left drawer when extended, wherein storage devices in the right drawer are inserted or removed only through the left side of the right drawer when extended.

20. The storage enclosure for storing a plurality of storage devices of claim 19, wherein no drawer requires top or bottom access to insert or remove a storage device, wherein any storage device in the left drawer may be inserted or removed when the left drawer is extended the predetermined distance if the left side surface of the left drawer is parallel to a first wall and the left side of the rackmountable chassis is in contact with the first wall, wherein any storage device in the right drawer may be inserted or removed when the right drawer is extended the predetermined distance if the right side surface of the right drawer is parallel to a second wall and the right side of the rackmountable chassis is in contact with the second wall.