Patent Application
20090097195
The subject matter of this patent application is generally related to hard disk drive mounting.
Standard computer hard disk drives can be mounted on vibration isolators. This often requires additional space external to the drive and a change to drive spacing, mounting brackets, etc. Designing a custom drive with internal vibration isolators would be expensive, and would preclude the changing of isolators for different mounting orientations, vibration sensitivities, etc.
A hard disk drive housing includes cavities where energy absorbing material (e.g., vibration isolators) can be inserted. In one aspect, cavities can be formed within the hard disk drive housing where mounting points are located for mounting the hard disk drive to a chassis. The cavities can be adapted (e.g., threaded) to receive vibration isolators. The vibration isolators can be any size, shape (e.g., annular) and material (e.g., rubber) based on the intended design.
In some implementations, the vibration isolators 104 are inserted in the cavities 102 by drive manufacturers. This design allows a system integrator who is including the hard disk drive in its systems to mount the drive in multiple orientations without having to design or redesign vibration isolation mechanisms.
In some implementations, the cavities 102 are located at one or more mounting points on one or more mounting surfaces of the housing 100, and are adapted to receive the vibration isolators 104. In some examples, each of the vibration isolators 104 can be mounted to the hard disk housing 100 using a fastener (e.g., a screw). In some implementations, the vibration isolator 104 can be mounted to the housing 100 by inserting a screw through the mounting hole 106 in the vibration isolator 104, which can be screwed into a threaded receiving hole in the cavity 102. In some implementations, one or both of the cavity 102 or the mounting hole 106 can be threaded for receiving a threaded vibration isolator 104 or threaded fastener (e.g., a screw, etc.), respectively. In some implementations, other types of fasteners, such as clips, studs, compression fittings, DrivLok™ grooved pins, helicois, rivets, welds, tape, Velcro™, brackets, latches, adhesive, etc., can be used as fasteners to fix the vibration isolators 104 in the cavities 102.
In some implementations, fasteners can be fixed perpendicular to the bottom of the cavity 102 and extend outward from the cavity 102. In such an arrangement, the vibration isolators 104 can be slipped over the fastener and a nut can be used to fasten the housing 100 and vibration isolator 104 to a bracket or other mounting assembly or structure.
In some implementations, the cavities 102 can entirely surround the vibration isolators 104. For example, the depth of the cavities 102 can be at least as deep as the height of the vibration isolators 104 so that the vibration isolators 104 are entirely inserted into the cavities 102. Such an implementation may be suitable for use with a mounting post, for example. In other implementations, the cavities 102 may partially surround the vibration isolators 104. For example, a portion of a vibration isolator 104 may be exposed above the mounting surface of the housing 100 after being inserted in a cavity 102. Such an implementation may be suitable for mounting brackets or a drive cage, as described in reference to
Other mounting mechanisms can also be adapted for mounting the vibration isolators 104 in the cavities 102. In some implementations, the vibration isolators 104 can be removably fixed in the cavities 102 by friction. In one example, the vibration isolators 104 may be inserted into the cavity 102 by a compression fitting mechanism. After the vibration isolator 104 is inserted, the vibration isolator 104 can expand in size so that the vibration isolator 104 is held in the cavity 102 by a frictional force between the expanded vibration isolator 104 and the sides or surface of the cavity 102. In some implementations, the outer surface of the vibration isolator 104 and the sides or surface of the cavity 102 can include threads to fix the vibration isolator 104 in the cavity 102. In some examples, other mechanisms for fixing the vibration isolator 104 in the cavity 102 can be used (e.g., latching mechanisms).
In some implementations, the vibration isolators 104 can be bonded (e.g., glued or welded) to the cavities 102. In one example, the cavity surface may be covered with adhesive material before the vibration isolator 104 is inserted in the cavity 102. In another example, the vibration isolator 104 can be bonded on top of a mounting surface of the housing 100 proximate a mounting point.
Although the vibration isolators 104 are annular or donut shaped in the depicted example, in other examples, the vibration isolators 104 can have other shapes (e.g., square, oval) depending on the intended design.
Although four cavities 102 are shown to be located at the four corners of the housing 100 in
In some implementations, other mounting orientations can be used to mount the vibration isolators 104. For example, the vibration isolators 104 can be mounted along the sides of the hard disk housing 100 instead of, or in addition to, the top or the bottom of the hard disk housing 100. In other implementations, the vibration isolators 104 can be mounted on the top and sides of the hard disk housing 100 using angular or L-shaped brackets.
The hard disk housing 200 includes a mounting surface and a cavity 210 formed in the mounting surface at a point where the hard disk housing 200 is mounted to the chassis bracket 202. In the depicted example, a vibration isolator 206 can be installed between the chassis bracket 202 and the hard disk housing 200. For example, the vibration isolator 206 is inserted in the cavity 210 to isolate the disk drive 216 from vibrations and other mechanical or acoustical disturbances received through the chassis bracket 202.
The vibration isolator 206 includes a mounting hole 208 for receiving the fastener 204 for mounting the hard disk housing 200 to the chassis bracket 202. In some implementations, the mounting hole 208 may be threaded to facilitate the insertion of the fastener 204. As shown in
Although implementations are described in reference to
In some implementations, the process 300 begins by forming a cavity in a surface of a disk drive housing at a mounting point (302). The cavity can partially or entirely surround the mounting point. The mounting point (e.g., a mounting hole) can be adaptable for mounting the disk drive housing to a chassis (e.g., mount to a personal computer chassis). The cavity can be formed in the housing die casting, stamping, milling, turning, drilling, threading, taps and dies, hand fabrication tools or any other known metal working tools or processes. The mounting hole can be made using threading, a drill press or any other known metal working tool or process.
Next, energy absorbing material is inserted in the cavity (304). For example, an annular (or other shaped) vibration isolator can be inserted in the cavity. The energy absorbing material can be removably or rigidly fixed in the cavity (306). In some implementations, the energy absorbing material can be removably fixed in the cavity using friction, Velcro™, adhesive tape or any other suitable material that would allow the material to be removed after insertion. In other implementations, the material can be rigidly fixed using a fastener, such as a screw, rivet, weld or adhesive.
Optionally, the hard disk drive housing can be mounted in a chassis at one or more mounting points, so that the energy absorbing material isolates the disk drive housing from vibration, shock or acoustical noise (308).
A number of implementations have been described. Nevertheless, it will be understood that various modifications may be made. For example, elements of one or more implementations may be combined, deleted, modified, or supplemented to form further implementations. As yet another example, the logic flows depicted in the figures do not require the particular order shown, or sequential order, to achieve desirable results. In addition, other steps may be provided, or steps may be eliminated, from the described flows, and other components may be added to, or removed from, the described systems. Accordingly, other implementations are within the scope of the following claims.
