JP2002343074A - Hard disk system device and its rental method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a hard disk device which can judge a managing method of a hard disk during a rental period based on objective standard, and to provide its rental method. SOLUTION: The rental method of the hard disk device has a rental step in which a hard disk device having a storage means storing a discriminated result based on a measured result of a water sensor, a dew condensation sensor, or an acceleration sensor is rented, a receiving step in which the hard disk device is returned, a read-out step in which the maximum value of the acceleration stored in the storage means and a time in which the acceleration exceeds a threshold level previously decided are read out, and a discriminating step in which a normal/defective condition of the hard disk device is discriminated based on the maximum value of the acceleration and a time in which the acceleration exceeds a threshold level previously decided.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a hard disk drive for storing the status of use of a user and a rental method of the hard disk drive.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, the development of the rental business has been remarkable, and the scope of rental has been expanded from vehicles, music and images to nursing care products. In such a situation, for example, when a vehicle is damaged due to a contact accident during lending, it requires time and effort to check the state of the vehicle. For this reason, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 11-24277
Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 8 (1999) discloses a device in which an acceleration sensor is installed at an appropriate position such as front, rear, left and right of a vehicle, and the collision history of the vehicle is stored. In this device, when returning the vehicle, the collision history is transmitted from the wireless device of the vehicle to the store terminal to simplify the office procedure, and the rental fee is calculated based on the information.

[0003] The present invention relates to a new business of renting a hard disk drive to which information such as video and music has been downloaded. Since the hard disk device is a very precise device, it can be fatally damaged if the user drops it to give an impact or soaks water therein. It is very important to detect whether or not the hard disk device has been damaged during the rental in order to maintain the quality of the service to be provided.

[0004]

In the conventional rental method as described above, a large number of acceleration sensors are required to obtain a rental history of a rental item (for example, a vehicle) during rental. Moreover, since the threshold level of the acceleration at which the vehicle is damaged is not determined, it has been difficult to accurately determine the presence or absence of the damage from the history of the acceleration sensor. In addition, in order to read the rental history of rental items,
It was also necessary to install large-scale devices such as radios in the store. The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and a hard disk device that detects acceleration applied to a hard disk mounted inside a housing with one or two acceleration sensors and stores the acceleration. The purpose is to provide. Another object of the present invention is to provide a hard disk device that detects that water has penetrated into the inside or has formed dew inside, and stores the detected result as history information.

Further, the present invention detects whether the hard disk device has been damaged during the rental of the hard disk device by detecting that the hard disk device has been subjected to a mechanical shock, that water has been impregnated, or that condensation has occurred inside the hard disk device. It is an object of the present invention to provide a method of renting a hard disk device capable of determining whether or not the rental is possible.

[0006]

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention has the following arrangement.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, a hard disk housed in a portable housing, a circuit board, a cushioning member attached between the housing and the hard disk, and a hard disk mounted on the housing or the circuit board are provided. It has a fixed water sensor, a dew sensor or an acceleration sensor, a connector installed in a part of the housing, and a storage unit for storing a measurement result of the sensor or a determination result based on the measurement result. A hard disk drive characterized in that:

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a hard disk housed in a portable housing, a circuit board, a cushioning member attached between the housing and the hard disk, and a surface of the housing or the housing. An acceleration color sensor attached to the inside of a transparent window provided in the vehicle and permanently discolored when an acceleration of a certain value or more is applied thereto, and a connector installed in a part of the housing, Hard disk drive.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a hard disk housed in a portable housing, a circuit board, a cushioning member attached between the housing and the hard disk, and a transparent member provided on a surface of the housing. A hard disk drive, comprising: a water sensor attached inside a window, which is permanently discolored when water enters the inside of the housing, and a connector installed in a part of the housing. .

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, an acceleration detection direction (main axis) of the acceleration sensor is substantially perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of a rotor arm of the hard disk, and forms an angle that is not perpendicular and not parallel to the media surface of the hard disk. The hard disk drive according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the acceleration sensor is attached as described above.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, the storage means stores the time (pulse width) or the time when the acceleration measured by the acceleration sensor exceeds a predetermined threshold, and the maximum value of the acceleration during the time. 2. The hard disk drive according to claim 1, wherein the hard disk drive is stored.

The invention according to claim 6 is characterized in that the storage means further stores whether or not the hard disk drive is operating when the acceleration exceeds a predetermined threshold. It is a hard disk device as described.

[0013] The invention according to claim 7, further comprising display means for displaying dew condensation when the dew condensation sensor detects dew when the hard disk starts operation or at the time of operation. Hard disk device.

The invention according to claim 8 is the hard disk drive according to claim 1, wherein the hard disk is not operated when the dew condensation sensor detects dew condensation. The present invention provides a hard disk drive that can store whether or not acceleration has been applied during use, whether or not water has penetrated, or whether or not condensation has occurred, and which can easily check for damage after the fact. realizable.

[0015] The invention of claim 9 is the invention of claim 2 or 3.
A lending step of lending the hard disk device according to the above, a receiving step of receiving a return of the hard disk device, and an inspection step of inspecting the performance of the hard disk device when the water sensor or the acceleration color sensor is discolored. And a rental method of a hard disk device.

According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a lending step of lending the hard disk device according to the first aspect, a receiving step of receiving a return of the hard disk device, a maximum value of the acceleration stored in the storage means, A time during which the acceleration exceeds a predetermined threshold, a reading step for reading out, a maximum value of the acceleration, and a time at which the acceleration exceeds a predetermined threshold, A method of renting a hard disk device, comprising: a determination step of determining pass / fail.

In the invention according to claim 11, in the reading step, information as to whether or not the hard disk is operating during a time when the acceleration exceeds a predetermined threshold is further read, and in the determining step, 11. The method for renting a hard disk device according to claim 10, wherein the quality of the hard disk device is determined based on different criteria depending on whether the hard disk is operating.

According to a twelfth aspect of the present invention, the criterion in the determining step is a function or a table of a maximum allowable acceleration using a time when the acceleration exceeds a predetermined threshold as a variable. Claim 1
0 is a method for renting a hard disk device.

According to a thirteenth aspect of the present invention, in the determining step, the maximum value of the measured acceleration is converted into a maximum value of an acceleration in an arbitrary direction, and the maximum value of the converted acceleration and the converted The quality of the hard disk device is determined based on a time when the acceleration exceeds a predetermined threshold.
The rental method of the hard disk device described in the above.

According to a fourteenth aspect of the present invention, the maximum value of the measured acceleration is converted into a maximum value of acceleration parallel to three axes perpendicular to each surface of the hard disk and perpendicular to each other, and the maximum value of the converted acceleration is calculated. 14. The hard disk device rental according to claim 13, wherein the quality of the hard disk device is determined in the determining step based on the value and a time during which the converted acceleration exceeds a predetermined threshold. Is the way.

According to a fifteenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a lending step for lending the hard disk device according to the first aspect, a receiving step for receiving a return of the hard disk device, and a reading step for reading out a determination result stored in the storage means. And a determining step of determining the quality of the hard disk device based on the determination result.

The invention according to claim 16 further comprises an inspection step of inspecting the hard disk device based on a result of the determination in the determination step. Rental method.

The invention according to claim 17 is the method for renting a hard disk drive according to claim 16, further comprising an additional charge requesting step of charging an additional charge based on the inspection result in the inspection step. is there.

The invention of claim 18 compares the inspection result in the inspection step with the inspection result in the inspection step performed in the past, and compares the inspection result in the inspection step with the inspection result performed in the past on the hard disk. 18. The method for renting a hard disk device according to claim 17, wherein an additional charge is charged in the additional charge requesting step only when the result is worse than the result.

The invention according to claim 19 further comprises a transmission step of transmitting the inspection result in the inspection step to the user by Internet mail.
The rental method of the hard disk device described in the above. The present invention rents a hard disk device that can easily check whether or not acceleration is applied during use to a user, and checks the quality of the hard disk device by a simple method when the user returns the hard disk device. Rental method can be realized. According to the present invention, it is possible to realize a hard disk device rental method for charging a user a reasonable fee based on a quality check result of the hard disk device at the time of return.

[0026]

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Embodiment 1 A hard disk drive according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing the structure of a hard disk drive according to a first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a perspective view for explaining a main axis direction of an acceleration sensor, and FIG. 3 is a transparent perspective view showing attachment of the acceleration sensor in the hard disk drive. 4, FIG. 4 is a perspective view for explaining a main axis direction and a measurement area in FIG. 3, FIG. 5 is an explanatory view showing an example of a measurement result of acceleration, and FIG. 6 is a maximum allowable acceleration of the hard disk during operation and non-operation. FIG. 7 is an acceleration table showing the specifications, and FIG. 7 is a graph showing the acceleration functions at the time of operation and at the time of non-operation by connecting the specification values of FIG. 6 in a fixed relationship. The horizontal axis is the pulse width, and the vertical axis is the maximum acceleration. There is value.

Hereinafter, a hard disk drive according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 1, 1 is a housing, 2 is a hard disk, 3 is a buffer, 4 is a connector, 8 is a circuit board, 9 is an acceleration sensor, 10 is a dew sensor, 11 is a ROM, 12 is a memory, and 13 is a battery. . Inside a housing 1 (preferably formed of resin), a hard disk 2 as a supported object is closely supported at its corners with a cushioning material 3. One end of the housing 1 has a connector 4 for connecting the hard disk device to an external device.
Is attached. On the circuit board 8, an acceleration sensor 9, a dew sensor 10, an acceleration table and a ROM 11 in which a determination unit is written, a memory 12, and a battery 13
Is attached. Instead of the condensation sensor 10, a water sensor may be attached.

Content information such as video and music is downloaded to the hard disk 2. The acceleration sensor 9 detects an impact applied to the hard disk device.
The dew condensation sensor 10 detects that water has penetrated into the hard disk drive or that dew condensation has occurred due to a rapid change in the surrounding temperature and humidity. The determination means stored in the ROM 11 determines whether the measurement data of the acceleration sensor 9 exceeds an allowable value determined according to the acceleration table (FIG. 6) or the acceleration function (FIG. 7), and stores the result in the memory 12. I do. Further, the determination means determines whether or not the measurement data of the condensation sensor 10 exceeds a predetermined allowable value, and stores the result in the memory 12. Preferably,
A clock driven by an oscillator is mounted on the circuit board 8. The memory 12 stores the time during which the acceleration exceeds a predetermined threshold (pulse width) or the time at which the acceleration crosses the threshold level (t1 and t2 or t3 and t4 in FIG. 5). Similarly, the memory 12 stores the time during which the measurement data of the condensation sensor 10 exceeds a predetermined threshold or the time.

The memory 12 stores measurement data of the acceleration sensor 9 and the dew sensor 10 (for example, the maximum value of the acceleration and the operation time of the dew sensor 10) and a result of determining whether the measurement data of the acceleration exceeds a threshold. I remember. Such information is also called history information. The measurement data and the like stored in the memory 12 are held by the battery 13. A nonvolatile memory may be used as the memory 12.
The acceleration function or the acceleration table indicates the relationship between the maximum value of the allowable acceleration and the time during which the acceleration exceeding the threshold is applied. FIG. 6 shows an example of the acceleration table, and FIG. 7 shows an example of the acceleration function. The user connects the hard disk device 26 to the dedicated player 25 (FIG. 12).
Attach to. The player 25 reads out content information such as video and music from the hard disk 2 through the connector 4. The user can display the read image on the display 27 or listen to the read music through a speaker. (FIG. 12)

The rental company attaches the returned hard disk device to a dedicated charge calculating device 28 (FIG. 13). The measurement data of the acceleration sensor 9 and the dew sensor 10 read from the memory 12 and the result of the determination as to whether or not the measurement data of the acceleration exceeds the threshold are output from the fee calculation device through the connector 4. For example, by displaying the measurement data and the determination result on the display, the rental company can determine whether or not the hard disk drive has been handled irregularly during rental.

FIG. 2 shows an example of the detection direction of the acceleration sensor 9 which outputs a voltage proportional to the acceleration. The acceleration detection direction (main axis) 14 is perpendicular to each surface of the acceleration sensor 9 and orthogonal to each other.
At an angle of °. α ° is preferably set to around 45 °. FIG. 3 shows three axes (X, Y, Z axes) perpendicular to each outer surface of the hard disk 2 and orthogonal to each other, and coordinate axes (I, II, III) of the sensor system. The Z axis and the III axis are the same axis, and the I and II axes are located at positions (90 ° -β) rotated about the Z axis with respect to the X and Y axes. Here, among the coordinates I, II, and III that are the coordinate system of the sensor system, the plane formed by the I and II axes is the same plane as the plane formed by the X and Y axes. FIG. 4A shows an ε quadrant 15 composed of a space in the + X, + Y, and + Z axis directions where the main axis 14 exists.
And a δ quadrant 1 comprising a space in the −X, −Y, and −Z axis directions
6, (b) is an explanatory diagram of an ε 'quadrant 17 composed of a space in the + X, + Y, and -Z axis directions, and a δ' quadrant 18 composed of a space in the -X, -Y, and + Z axis directions.

In FIG. 3, the rotor arm 19 in the hard disk 2 reciprocates on the media surface 20 with the bearing 21 as the center of rotation as indicated by the arrow 24. When the impact direction is included in the ε quadrant 15 or the δ quadrant 16, the impact direction is on an extension of the direction connecting O to any point in the ε quadrant 15 or the δ quadrant 16. At this time, the difference between the actually applied impact value and the measured value in the direction of the main shaft 14 becomes largest when the impact is applied from any of the X, Y, and Z axes. Therefore, in order to know how the impact from the X, Y, and Z axis directions is detected in the direction of the main shaft 14, ∠OCU, ∠OQV, ∠OPQ, ∠OPW
Consider a 90 ° geometry. Strength from the X-axis direction (O
U) when the impact is applied, the component O of the OU in the direction of the main shaft 14 is applied.
Considering P, (OP) = (OU) cosβcos (9
0 ° -α). Since OP is a value measured by the acceleration sensor 9, the impact (OU) from the X-axis direction is
(OU) = (OP) / (cos β sin α). Similarly, impacts (OV) and (OW) from the Y-axis and Z-axis directions
Are (OV) = (OP) / (sin α sin
β), (OW) = (OP) / cos α. From the three shock values obtained by multiplying the measured acceleration (OP) by the above three coefficients determined by the mounting angle of the acceleration sensor 9, consider the possibility (worst case) that the maximum shock was applied. . It is important to attach the acceleration sensor 9 so that the direction of the main shaft 14 is substantially orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the rotor arm 19 spatially.

FIG. 5 shows an acceleration waveform in the direction of the main shaft 14 detected by the acceleration sensor 9. When the absolute value of the acceleration exceeds a predetermined threshold, the time t2−t1 and the maximum value + D1 of the acceleration during that time are recorded in the memory 12. As an example, the solid line indicates the acceleration when an impact is applied from the direction A in FIG. 3, and the broken line indicates the acceleration when the impact is applied from the direction B in FIG. In addition, the threshold is small enough for the impact specification of the hard disk,
In addition, it is desirable that the hard disk is provided separately when the hard disk is operating and when it is not operating. As an example, t2-t1
Alternatively, when the acceleration waveform is 11 msec between t4 and t3, it may be 1G during operation and 10G during non-operation.

With the above configuration, the impact value (OP) recorded in the memory 12 is multiplied by the above-described coefficient determined by α and β, so that in the worst case, X, Y, Z
The maximum impact value that may have been applied from either direction can be determined. However, in the installation of FIG. 3, when an impact is applied from a direction connecting O to an arbitrary point in the ε ′ quadrant 17 or the δ ′ quadrant 18 shown in FIG. When included in the 'quadrant 17 or δ' quadrant 18, the crossing angle between the impact direction and the main shaft 14 approaches 90 °, so that the measurement sensitivity is reduced. To prevent this, for example, as shown in FIG.
O located at a position symmetrical with the main axis 14 with respect to the Y plane.
It is effective to add a second acceleration sensor to the circuit board 8 so that the main axis also comes in the P 'direction, and to have the main axis in two directions. In this case, of the main axes OP and OP ', the one that measures the acceleration having a larger value is considered as the actual main axis, and in the worst case, the maximum impact value that may have been applied from any of the X, Y, and Z directions is calculated. You can ask.

As another application example, for example, it is conceivable to use an acceleration sensor 22 having a main axis in two axial directions at the same time. Acceleration detection direction of acceleration sensor 22 (main axis direction)
Are OP and OQ (FIG. 3), the impact direction is ε quadrant 15
Alternatively, when included in the δ quadrant 16, the impact in the X-axis direction is determined as (OQ) / cos β from the actually measured impact value (OQ). Similarly, regarding the Y axis and the Z axis, from the actually measured impact values (OQ) and (OP), (OQ) / cos (90 ° −
β), (OP) / cos α, so it is sufficient to pay attention to the maximum value among the three cases. Here, the OQ exists on the XY plane. The same applies when the impact direction is included in the ε ′ quadrant 17 or the δ ′ quadrant 18. Also in this case, of the two main axes OP and OQ, the one that measures the acceleration having a large value is considered to be the actual main axis. When the acceleration sensor 9 or the acceleration sensor 22 is used, the window 7 (described in FIG. 8) is unnecessary. Further, in order to measure the acceleration that has not been attenuated, the acceleration sensor includes a fixed portion 2 in which the circuit board 8 is fixed to the housing 1.
3 (FIG. 3).

Although it is best to measure acceleration in three orthogonal axes, the longitudinal direction of rotor arm 19 (I-axis direction in FIG. 3) is structurally more affected by impacts than other directions. Since it is difficult, the longitudinal direction of the rotor arm 19 can be set to the blind spot of the acceleration sensor (the direction in which the measurement sensitivity is low) as in the hard disk device of the first embodiment. Further, even with the same shock, the shock is attenuated as the position where the shock is applied is farther from the position where the acceleration sensor is attached, so that the measured acceleration is also reduced. As shown in FIG. 5, in the case of the impact from the opposite direction A and the impact from the direction B in FIG. 3, the measured voltage at the peak is opposite (+ D1, -D2), so that it is determined from which direction the impact is applied. be able to. Therefore, when it is determined that the acceleration sensor has been dropped from the direction B (when the value of the acceleration is negative), the absolute value of the detected acceleration is different from when the acceleration sensor is attached to the position C in FIG. The measured value (D2 in FIG. 5) is multiplied by a coefficient of 1 or more so as to be equivalent, and correction is performed so that the influence of the drop direction does not appear.
This coefficient may be stored in the ROM 11. The measured acceleration thus obtained is stored in the memory 12.

Next, the judgment means written in the ROM 11 determines from the maximum value of the acceleration in the direction of the main shaft 14 (+ D1 in FIG. 5) stored in the memory 12 that X, Y,
The respective maximum shock values that may be applied in the Z-axis direction are calculated, and based on the pulse width (t2−t1) and the respective maximum shock values applied in the X, Y, and Z-axis directions, the respective maximum shock values are calculated. If the maximum impact value is larger than the acceleration table in FIG. 6 or the graph (acceleration function) in FIG. 7, it is determined that the hard disk device has been used outside the specified range. FIG.
Is a graph showing the relationship between the time during which the acceleration exceeding the threshold is applied to the hard disk drive (horizontal axis) and the maximum allowable acceleration (vertical axis) for each application time. For the actual acceleration application time,
If the maximum acceleration that may have been applied is lower than the graph of FIG. 7, it is determined that no abnormal impact has been applied to the hard disk drive, and if the maximum acceleration that may have been applied is higher than the graph of FIG. It is determined that an abnormal shock has been applied to the hard disk device.

Preferably, the acceleration function has a function when the hard disk drive is operating and a function when it is not operating, as shown in FIG. Generally, the allowable acceleration during operation is smaller than the allowable acceleration during non-operation of the hard disk. RO
The judging means written in M11 reads the function at the time of operation or the function at the time of non-operation from the ROM 11 according to whether the hard disk device was operating or not operating at the time of applying the acceleration, and from the respective functions, an abnormal shock to the hard disk device. Is added or not. The acceleration table is a table that describes the time when the acceleration was applied to the hard disk device and the maximum acceleration allowed during the application time. The acceleration table is also shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 7, there are different acceleration tables when the hard disk device is operating and when it is not operating. Also in the acceleration table, the allowable acceleration during operation of the hard disk is smaller than the allowable acceleration during non-operation of the hard disk.

Embodiment 2 A hard disk drive according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIG. In FIG. 8, a hard disk 2 which is an object to be supported is tightly supported by a cushioning material 3 at corners inside a housing 1 (preferably formed of resin). A connector 4 for connecting the circuit board 8 to an external device is attached to one end of the housing 1. Furthermore, on the hard disk 2,
An acceleration color sensor 5 that is permanently discolored by an impact equal to or higher than a specified level is attached. A transparent window 7 is provided in a part of the housing 1 so that the color change of the acceleration color sensor 5 can be confirmed from outside. The lender may discolor the sensor to the window 7
, It is possible to determine whether or not irregular handling has been performed during the rental period. Note that the acceleration color sensor 5 may be attached to the outside of the housing 1. For example, Shock Watch (registered trademark) manufactured by Sumitomo 3M Limited is used as the acceleration color sensor 5.

On the hard disk 2, a water sensor 6 that is permanently discolored due to the adhesion of the intruding water is attached. Through a transparent window 7 provided in a part of the housing 1, it can be checked whether or not the water sensor 6 has changed color. Since the lender can easily check the discoloration of the water sensor 6 through the window 7, it is possible to judge whether or not irregular handling has been performed during the rental period.

Embodiment 3 A method for renting a hard disk drive according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 9 to 13. FIG. 9 shows a flowchart of the rental method of the third embodiment using the hard disk device of the first embodiment.

The rental method according to the third embodiment includes a lending step 901, a user use step 902, and a return step 903. Lending step 901 is step 9
11 and 912. In step 911, the user first pays a rental fee to a rental company when renting a hard disk device, and deposits a deposit. In step 912, the rental company rents out the hard disk device to which the music, video and the like desired by the user have been downloaded to the user.

The user use step 902 is step 9
13 and 914. In step 913, it is determined whether or not an acceleration equal to or higher than the threshold level is applied to the rented hard disk drive, or whether there is a sudden change in the temperature and humidity in the surrounding area or whether or not water has penetrated. If an acceleration equal to or higher than the threshold level is applied to the leased hard disk drive in step 913, the pulse width of the shock, the maximum value of the shock, and the time of occurrence are recorded in the memory 12 in step 914. In step 913, if the rented hard disk drive has a sudden change in ambient temperature and humidity or dew condensation due to permeation of water, dew condensation information is recorded in the memory 12 in step 914. In step 913, if no acceleration exceeding the threshold level is applied to the hard disk device and there is no dew condensation, nothing is recorded in the memory 12.

The return step 903 includes steps 915 to 9
25. In step 915, the hard disk device rented by the user is returned. In the following, the rental company uses the fee calculation device 28 to determine whether the hard disk has been handled out of the specified manner, and determines whether or not to collect the failure fee. In step 916, the charge calculation device 28 reads the measurement data (pulse width, maximum value of acceleration, occurrence time) recorded in the memory 12. Next, in step 917, the maximum value of the pulse width and the acceleration is compared with the acceleration table shown in FIG. 6 or the acceleration function shown in FIG. 7, and it is determined whether or not an acceleration exceeding the allowable value is applied to the hard disk device. Further, in step 916, the dew condensation information (including the inundation information) recorded in the memory 12 is read, and in step 917, it is determined whether or not the hard disk has dew condensation.

If it is determined in step 917 that no acceleration exceeding the allowable level has been applied and no condensation has occurred, step 9
At 20, the deposit is returned and the rental process ends. If it is determined in step 917 that an acceleration exceeding an allowable level is applied, or if it is determined that there is condensation,
At step 918, a performance test of the hard disk drive is performed. Here, the presence / absence of an error at the time of read / write, NRRO (non-repeated run-out), the number of retries, the error occurrence ratio, the increase in defective sectors, and the like are examined. If there is no abnormality in the performance of the hard disk in step 919, the deposit is returned in step 920 and the rental process ends. If there is an abnormality in the performance of the hard disk in step 919, it is determined in step 921 whether or not the previous inspection data exists. Step 9
If there is no previous inspection data at 21, step 9
At 24, the current inspection data is recorded, and at step 925, a failure fee is collected, and the rental process ends.

If the previous inspection data exists in step 921, the current inspection result is compared with the previous inspection data in step 922. If the current inspection data is worse than the previous time in step 923, step 924
, The current inspection data is recorded, a failure fee is collected in step 925, and the rental process ends. Step 9
If the current inspection data has not deteriorated compared to the previous time at 23, the deposit is returned in step 920 and the rental process ends.

In another embodiment, the judgment means stored in the ROM 11 of the hard disk drive determines whether or not the acceleration has been applied to the hard disk drive based on the acceleration function (FIG. 7) stored in the ROM 11 (step 91).
In step 4, it is determined whether the applied acceleration is equal to or greater than an allowable value. Similarly, the determination means stored in the ROM 11 of the hard disk device determines whether the temperature / humidity around the hard disk device changes suddenly or when water permeates.
It is determined whether or not dew condensation has occurred based on the allowable value stored in 11. Specifically, it is determined whether or not the measurement data of the condensation sensor 10 exceeds an allowable value. The result of the determination by the determination means is recorded in the memory 12. In step 916 of the flowchart in FIG. 9, the above determination result is read. In step 917, if the result of the determination by the determination means indicates that an acceleration equal to or greater than the allowable value has been applied to the hard disk device or condensation has occurred, the process proceeds to step 918. When the read determination result indicates that no acceleration exceeding the allowable value is applied to the hard disk device and no dew condensation occurs, the process proceeds to step 920. Note that collecting the failure fee in step 925 corresponds to collecting an additional charge.

Fourth Embodiment FIG. 10 is a flowchart of a rental method according to a fourth embodiment using the hard disk device according to the second embodiment. Rental method is lending step 100
1. User use step 1002, return step 10
It consists of 03. The lending step 1001 includes steps 1011 and 1012. In step 1011, the user first pays a rental fee to a rental company when renting a hard disk device, and deposits a deposit. In step 1012, the hard disk device to which the music, video, and the like desired by the user have been downloaded is lent to the user.

The user use step 1002 includes steps 1013 and 1014. If an acceleration equal to or higher than the threshold level is applied in step 1013 or if water enters, in step 1014, the acceleration color sensor or the water sensor permanently changes color. In step 1013, if no acceleration equal to or higher than the threshold level is applied and water does not enter, neither the acceleration color sensor nor the water sensor discolors.

Return step 1003 is step 1015
To 1027. In step 1015, the hard disk device rented by the user is returned.
In step 1016, the rental agent checks whether the color of the acceleration color sensor or the water sensor has changed from the window of the housing of the hard disk device. If there is no discoloration of the acceleration color sensor or the water sensor in step 1017, step 10
At 21 the deposit is returned and the rental process ends. If the acceleration color sensor or the water sensor is discolored in step 1017, the rental company determines whether or not the hard disk has been handled out of the specified manner by using the fee calculation device 28, and determines whether or not to collect a deposit. To determine.
In step 1018, a performance test of the hard disk drive is performed. Here, the presence / absence of an error at the time of read / write, NRRO (non-repeated run-out), the number of retries, the error occurrence ratio, the increase in defective sectors, and the like are examined. If there is no abnormality in the performance of the hard disk in step 1019, the sensor is replaced in step 1020, the deposit is returned in step 1021, and the rental process ends. If there is an abnormality in the performance of the hard disk in step 1019, it is determined in step 1022 whether the previous inspection data exists. Step 102
If there is no previous inspection data in step 2, step 10
In step 25, the current inspection data is recorded.
The sensor is replaced at 6 and a failure fee is collected at step 1027, and the rental process ends.

If the previous inspection data exists in step 1022, the current inspection data is compared with the previous inspection data in step 1023. In step 1024, it is checked whether the current inspection data is worse than the previous inspection data. If the current inspection data is worse than the previous inspection data, the current inspection data is recorded in step 1025, the sensor is replaced in step 1026, a failure fee is collected in step 1027, and the rental process ends. I do. If the current inspection data is not worse than the previous inspection data in step 1024, the deposit is returned in step 1021 and the rental process ends. Note that collecting the failure fee in step 1027 is equivalent to collecting an additional charge.

Fifth Embodiment FIG. 11 is a flowchart of a rental method according to a fifth embodiment. In the rental method according to the present embodiment, a transparent window similar to that shown in FIG. 8 is provided on the surface of the housing of the hard disk drive shown in FIG. 1, and a water sensor 6 that changes color permanently when water invades is attached to the inside. Rent your own hard disk drive. The rental method is a lending step 1101, a user use step 110
2. It comprises a return step 1103.

The lending step 1101 is a step 1
111 and 1112. In step 1111, first, the user pays a rental fee to a rental agent when renting a hard disk device, and deposits a deposit. In step 1112, the hard disk device to which the music, video, and the like desired by the user have been downloaded is lent to the user. User Step 1
102 has steps 1113 to 1116. At step 1113, it is determined whether or not water has entered the hard disk device. If water has entered the hard disk drive in step 1113, the water sensor 6 permanently changes color in step 1114. If water has not entered the hard disk drive in step 1113, the water sensor 6 does not change color. In step 1115, it is determined whether or not an acceleration equal to or higher than the threshold level is applied to the rented hard disk device, or whether or not there is a sudden change in temperature and humidity in the surrounding area or whether or not there is dew condensation due to permeation of water. If an acceleration higher than the threshold level is applied to the leased hard disk device in step 1115, the pulse width of the shock, the maximum value of the shock, and the time of occurrence are recorded in the memory 12 in step 1116. If it is determined in step 1115 that the rented hard disk device has a sudden change in the surrounding temperature and humidity or that dew condensation has occurred due to water penetration, the process proceeds to step 111.
At 6, the condensation information is recorded in the memory 12. Step 1
If no acceleration above the threshold level is applied to the hard disk drive at 115 and there is no condensation,
Nothing is recorded in the memory 12.

Return step 1103 is step 1117
To 1131. In step 1117, the hard disk device rented by the user is returned. In step 1118, the rental agent checks whether or not the water sensor is discolored from a window provided in the housing of the hard disk device. If there is any discoloration of the water sensor in step 1119, the process proceeds to step 1120, where the rental company uses the fee calculating device 28 to determine whether or not the hard disk has been handled out of the specified manner, and whether or not to collect a deposit. To decide. In step 1120, a performance test of the hard disk device is performed.

If there is no discoloration of the water sensor at step 1119, at step 1124 the charge calculating device 28
Are the measurement data (pulse width,
Read the maximum value of acceleration). In step 1125, the pulse width and the maximum value of the acceleration are compared with the acceleration table shown in FIG. 6 or the acceleration function shown in FIG. 7, and it is determined whether or not the hard disk device has been subjected to an acceleration exceeding the allowable value. In step 1124, the dew condensation information recorded in the memory 12 is read, and in step 1125, it is determined whether or not the hard disk has dew condensation. If it is determined in step 1125 that no acceleration exceeding the allowable level is applied and there is no dew condensation, the deposit is returned in step 1123, and the rental process ends. Step 1
If it is determined in step 125 that an acceleration exceeding an allowable level is applied, or if it is determined that there is condensation, step 11
At 20, a hard disk device performance test is performed.

In the performance test of the hard disk in step 1120, the presence / absence of an error at the time of read / write, NRRO (non-repeated run-out), the number of retries, the error occurrence ratio, the increase in defective sectors, and the like are examined. If there is no abnormality in the performance of the hard disk in step 1121, the sensor is replaced in step 1122,
In step 1123, the deposit is returned and the rental process ends. If there is an abnormality in the performance of the hard disk in step 1121, it is determined in step 1126 whether or not the previous inspection data exists. Step 1126
If there is no previous inspection data at step 112,
After the inspection data is recorded in step 9 and the sensor is replaced in step 1130, a failure fee is collected in step 1131 and the rental process ends.

If the previous inspection data exists in step 1126, the current inspection result is compared with the previous inspection data in step 1127. If the current inspection data is worse than the previous time in step 1128, step 1
In step 129, the current inspection data is recorded.
The sensor is replaced at 30, the failure fee is collected at step 1131, and the rental process ends. Step 112
If the inspection data at this time is not deteriorated as compared with the previous time at 8, the sensor is replaced at step 1122, the deposit is returned at step 1123, and the rental process ends.

In another embodiment, the determination means stored in the ROM 11 of the hard disk device determines whether acceleration has been applied to the hard disk device based on the acceleration function (FIG. 7) stored in the ROM 11.
At 16, it is determined whether the applied acceleration is greater than or equal to an allowable value. Similarly, the ROM 11 of the hard disk device
When the temperature and humidity around the hard disk device change suddenly or when water permeates, the determination means stored in the
It is determined whether or not condensation has occurred based on the allowable value stored in M11. Specifically, it is determined whether or not the measurement data of the condensation sensor 10 exceeds an allowable value. The result of the determination by the determination means is recorded in the memory 12. FIG.
In step 1124 of the flowchart of the above, the above determination result is read. In step 1125, if the result of the determination by the determination means indicates that an acceleration equal to or greater than the allowable value has been applied to the hard disk device or condensation has occurred, the process proceeds to step 1120. If the read determination result indicates that no acceleration exceeding the allowable value is applied to the hard disk device and no dew condensation occurs, the process proceeds to step 1123.

FIG. 12 shows a reproduction system for a hard disk drive. In FIG. 12, a hard disk drive 26 is inserted into an opening provided on the front surface of a player 25 (hard disk drive) for reproducing images.
Is connected to a display 27 (having a speaker) through a cable. At this time, the player 25 and the hard disk device 26 are electrically connected by the connector 4, and the video and music recorded on the hard disk 2 are reproduced on the display 27. Immediately before the start of the operation of the hard disk 2 in the hard disk device 26 or when the dew condensation sensor 10 detects the dew during the operation, the operation of the hard disk 2 is interrupted until the dew disappears, and a warning of the dew condensation is displayed on the screen of the display 27. Display to prevent failure. Condensation often occurs when high-temperature air containing a large amount of moisture is rapidly cooled.

FIG. 13 is a side view of the charge calculating device of the embodiment. In FIG. 13, the hard disk device 26 is connected to the fee calculating device 28, and the history information is read from the memory 12 of the hard disk device 26. When the history information indicates that the usage has been out of the specified range during the rental, the inspection unit 29 performs a performance inspection of the hard disk device 26. The inspection result is displayed on a display or printed out through the output means of the fee calculation device 28. The rental agent can determine whether or not the hard disk device is normal based on the display on the display or the like, and can show the inspection result to the user. Since the performance test requires several tens of minutes, the test result is sent to the user as Internet mail, and if the user can check the test result using a personal computer or mobile phone, the user has to wait at the store during that time Disappears. If an abnormality is found in the inspection result, a failure fee may be paid from the user's deposit account. Note that the video and music may be downloaded from the fee calculation device 28 to the hard disk device 26.

[0062]

As described above, the hard disk drive according to the present invention comprises an acceleration sensor, a water sensor or a dew sensor for detecting the use history during rental, and a storage means for storing the measurement result of the sensor. And determination means for analyzing data in the storage means. The method for renting a hard disk drive according to the present invention includes an inspection step of inspecting the hard disk based on a determination result of the determination unit. According to the present invention, there is obtained an advantageous effect that a hard disk device rental method capable of maintaining and managing the quality of a rental hard disk device in a simple manner can be realized.

Based on the data recorded by the storage means, it is determined whether or not the user has performed use outside the specified range. If it is determined that the usage is out of the specified range, the hard disk is inspected, and as a result, a surcharge (failure fee) is collected only when it is determined that the performance is abnormal. In other words, no extra charge will be incurred if there is no abnormality in the performance of the hard disk even if the usage is out of the specified range.
A reasonable rental method can be realized. In addition, since the inspection result can be notified via the Internet, the user does not need to wait at the store until the inspection result is obtained. Instead of collecting the deposit, if there is an abnormality in the inspection result, it is also possible to withdraw the failure price from the user's deposit account. With a simple system in which only a small fee calculation device is installed at a store, a series of processes from downloading information to a hard disk to clearing a fee can be performed, and there is no need to install a large-scale device.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a structure of a hard disk device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view for explaining a main axis direction of an acceleration sensor of the hard disk device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a transparent perspective view showing attachment of an acceleration sensor in the hard disk device of the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view for explaining a main axis direction and a measurement region in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a measurement result of acceleration by the acceleration sensor of the hard disk device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is an acceleration table showing a maximum allowable acceleration specification of the hard disk device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a graph showing an acceleration function of the hard disk device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a sectional view showing the structure of a hard disk device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart of a method for renting a hard disk device according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart of a hard disk device rental method according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart of a hard disk device rental method according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing the usage status of the player of the embodiment by the user.

FIG. 13 is a side view of a fee calculating device and an inspection means of an embodiment used by a rental company.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 1 housing 2 hard disk 3 buffer 4 connector for connection to external device 5 acceleration color sensor 6 water sensor 7 sensor color change confirmation window 8 circuit board 9 acceleration sensor 10 dew condensation sensor 11 ROM 12 memory 13 battery 14 main shaft 19 rotor arm 21 Bearing 22 Acceleration sensor 25 Player 26 Hard disk drive 27 Display 28 Charge calculation device

Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification FI FI Theme Court II (Reference) G11B 33/08 G11B 33/08 E 33/10 602 33/10 602D (72) Inventor Kazuyuki Miura 8 Koshinmachi, Takamatsu City, Kagawa Prefecture No. 1 Matsushita Hisashi Denshi Kogyo Co., Ltd.

Claims (19)

[Claims] A hard disk housed in a portable housing; a circuit board; a cushioning member mounted between the housing and the hard disk; and a water sensor fixed on the housing or the circuit board. ,
A hard disk comprising: a condensation sensor or an acceleration sensor; a connector installed in a part of the housing; and a storage unit for storing a measurement result of the sensor or a determination result based on the measurement result. apparatus. 2. A hard disk housed in a portable housing; a circuit board; a cushioning member attached between the housing and the hard disk; and a transparent member provided on the housing or on the surface of the housing. A hard disk drive, comprising: an acceleration color sensor attached inside a window and permanently discolored when an acceleration equal to or more than a predetermined value is applied; and a connector installed in a part of the housing. 3. A hard disk housed in a portable housing, a circuit board, a cushioning material attached between the housing and the hard disk, and a transparent window provided on a surface of the housing. A hard disk drive, comprising: a water sensor that is attached and changes color permanently when water infiltrates into the housing; and a connector installed in a part of the housing. 4. The acceleration sensor according to claim 1, wherein an acceleration detection direction (main axis) of the acceleration sensor is substantially orthogonal to a longitudinal direction of a rotor arm of the hard disk and forms an angle that is not perpendicular and not parallel to a media surface of the hard disk. 3. The sensor according to claim 1, wherein a sensor is mounted.
The hard disk device according to 1. 5. The storage means stores a time (pulse width) or a time when the acceleration measured by the acceleration sensor exceeds a predetermined threshold, and a maximum value of the acceleration during the time. The hard disk drive according to claim 1, wherein: 6. The hard disk drive according to claim 5, wherein the storage unit further stores whether the hard disk drive is operating when the acceleration exceeds a predetermined threshold. 7. The hard disk drive according to claim 1, further comprising display means for displaying dew condensation when the dew condensation sensor detects dew when the hard disk starts or operates. 8. The hard disk drive according to claim 1, wherein the hard disk is not operated when the dew condensation sensor detects dew condensation. 9. A lending step for renting out the hard disk drive according to claim 2 or 3, a receiving step for receiving a return of the hard disk drive, and when the water sensor or the acceleration color sensor is discolored. An inspection step of inspecting the performance of the hard disk device; and a rental method of the hard disk device. 10. A lending step of renting out the hard disk drive according to claim 1, an accepting step of receiving a return of the hard disk drive, a maximum value of the acceleration stored in the storage means,
A reading step of reading the time when the acceleration exceeds a predetermined threshold, and a maximum value of the acceleration, and a time during which the acceleration exceeds a predetermined threshold. A determination step of determining pass / fail; and a method of renting a hard disk drive. 11. The readout step further reads information as to whether the hard disk is operating during a time when the acceleration exceeds a predetermined threshold. In the determination step, the hard disk is operating. 11. The method of renting a hard disk device according to claim 10, wherein the quality of the hard disk device is determined based on different criteria depending on whether or not the hard disk device is defective. 12. The criterion in the deciding step, wherein the criterion is a function or a table of a maximum allowable acceleration having a variable as a time when the acceleration exceeds a predetermined threshold. How to rent a hard disk device. 13. In the determining step, the maximum value of the measured acceleration is converted into a maximum value of an acceleration in an arbitrary direction, and the maximum value of the converted acceleration and the converted acceleration are determined in advance. 11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the quality of the hard disk device is determined based on the time when the threshold value is exceeded. 14. Converting the measured maximum value of acceleration into a maximum value of acceleration parallel to three mutually perpendicular axes perpendicular to each surface of the hard disk, and calculating the maximum value of the converted acceleration and the converted maximum value of the converted acceleration. 14. The method of renting a hard disk device according to claim 13, wherein the quality of the hard disk device is determined in the determining step based on a time during which the acceleration exceeds a predetermined threshold. 15. A lending step for renting out the hard disk device according to claim 1, an accepting step for receiving a return of the hard disk device, a reading step for reading out a judgment result stored in the storage means, and Determining a pass / fail of the hard disk drive based on the method. 16. The apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising an inspection step of inspecting the hard disk drive based on a result of the determination in the determination step.
5. The method for renting a hard disk device according to item 5. 17. The method for renting a hard disk drive according to claim 16, further comprising an additional charge step of charging an additional charge based on a result of the inspection in the inspection step. 18. A test result in the test step is compared with a test result in a test step performed in the past, and the test result in the test step is compared with the test result in the test step performed in the past for the hard disk device. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein an additional charge is charged in the additional charge requesting step only when the result is worse than the inspection result.
7. The method for renting a hard disk device according to item 7. 19. The method for renting a hard disk drive according to claim 16, further comprising a transmission step of transmitting a test result in the test step to a user by Internet mail.