JP2006302353A - Fixing structure for disk drive, disk drive and housing - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To surely fix a disk drive in two directions (horizontal and vertical) perpendicular to the direction of removing the disk drive from a housing in a device having the disk drive to be removably mounted on the housing. <P>SOLUTION: A fixing structure for a disk drive includes a slot 15 provided in the housing side and a guide rail 30 provided at the disk drive side and inserted into the slot 15 to guide the disk drive to a prescribed position. While the guide rail 30 is inserted into the slot 15, a projection 31a is abutted on a fixed plate 22 to thereby distort a beam part, the stress by the distorted beam part pushes the guide rail 30 against the slot 15 to fix the disk drive horizontally, and a raised part 37 is fitted into a tapered groove 39 to thereby press the guide rail 30 against the slot 15 to fix the disk drive vertically. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a fixing structure for securely fixing a disk drive device that is detachably attached to a housing.

  In recent years, in AV equipment such as broadcasting stations and cable television, a system (hard disk array unit) using a hard disk instead of a tape as a recording / reproducing storage has started to be frequently used. This system is equipped with a plurality of hard disk drive (HDD) devices in one unit, and realizes a large capacity and a high-speed transfer rate. Further, by providing redundancy to the HDD, it is possible to restore data in the HDD even if the HDD fails. That is, even if one HDD fails, the failed HDD can be replaced without stopping the system. Therefore, the HDD must be easily replaceable during system operation. Since the HDD in operation is very vulnerable to external vibrations and shocks, care must be taken when replacing it.

In this system, the HDD is often attached and detached by a lever. The main reasons are that it is necessary to mount as many HDDs as possible, so that the space for providing the fixing mechanism is small and the cost of the special mechanism is increased. In this attachment / detachment structure using the lever, the HDD can be attached / detached easily, but the force for fixing the HDD is weak. Therefore, conventionally, for example, as in the apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1 below, a lever is provided with a simple locking mechanism, and thereby the HDD is fixed in the attaching / detaching direction.
JP 2000-149521 A

  However, in the mechanism in which the HDD is fixed by the lever as described above, the HDD is securely fixed in the attaching / detaching direction, but the fixing in the other directions is not sufficient, and there is some backlash. This is fatal for HDDs that are very vulnerable to vibration and shock when mounted on a vehicle. Further, not only external vibrations / impacts but also high-frequency displacements such as HDD self-vibration cannot be suppressed, leading to errors.

As described above, the fixing of the HDD is greatly related to the reliability of the system, and therefore it is important how securely the HDD is fixed in the direction other than the attaching / detaching direction.
The present invention has been made in view of such a point, and can securely fix in two directions (left and right direction and up and down direction) perpendicular to the attaching / detaching direction of the disk drive device and can withstand strong vibration and impact. The purpose is to realize a fixing structure capable of.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides:
A structure for fixing a disk drive device that is detachably attached to a housing,
A slot provided on the housing side, and a guide rail provided on the disk drive device side for guiding the disk drive device to a predetermined position by being inserted into the slot, and between the slot and the guide rail, the disk drive device First and second fixing means for fixing in a first direction (left-right direction) and a second direction (up-down direction) orthogonal to the attaching / detaching direction of
The first fixing means includes a beam portion provided on the guide rail and partially having a protrusion, and a fixing plate provided on the slot side corresponding to the beam portion, and the guide rail is inserted into the slot. In the state, the beam portion is distorted by the protrusions coming into contact with the fixing plate, and the guide rail is pressed against the slot by the stress, and the disk drive device is fixed in the first direction.
The second fixing means includes a tapered raised portion formed on the guide rail and a tapered groove provided on the slot side corresponding to the raised portion, and in a state where the guide rail is inserted into the slot, When the raised portion is fitted in the tapered groove, the guide rail is pressed against the slot, and the disk drive device is fixed in the second direction.

  According to the present invention, fixing in two directions (left and right direction and up and down direction) perpendicular to the attaching / detaching direction of the disk drive device can be reliably performed without using screws or the like, and it can withstand strong vibration and impact. It is possible to realize a structure that can be easily attached and detached.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the overall configuration of a hard disk array unit used for recording / playback storage of AV equipment, FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a hard disk drive (hereinafter referred to as HDD) device mounted on the hard disk array unit, and FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the housing | casing (chassis) of the unit with which this HDD apparatus is mounted | worn.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the hard disk array unit 1 of this example is configured so that a maximum of 15 HDD devices 3 can be mounted in a housing 2. As shown in FIG. 2, the HDD device 3 mounted in the unit 1 is configured as an assembly in which an HDD main body 3A and an interface board 5 are fixed to a sheet metal caddy 4 by screwing. The interface board 5 is connected by a SATA connector 6, and even if the interface of the HDD is changed, the interface board 5 is changed so that it can be adapted without changing the whole structure. The interface board 5 is provided with a connector 7 for connecting to the motherboard on the housing side.

  The HDD device 3 is detachably attached to the housing 2 in a state where the HDD device 3 stands vertically. Guide rails 30 serving as guide members for attachment / detachment are attached to the upper and lower surfaces of the caddy 4 by screws. It is attached. A handle 8 is provided at the front of the caddy 4. When the HDD device 3 is attached or detached, the handle 8 is grasped by hand to insert or remove the HDD 3. Further, a self-lock lever 9 is attached to the front portion of the caddy 4 above and below the handle portion 8, and the HDD device 3 is fixed in the attaching / detaching direction by the self-lock lever 9 as will be described later. Yes.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the housing 2 to which the HDD device 3 is mounted is a box-shaped sheet metal chassis with the front surface opened, and the HDD device 3 is inserted from the front surface opening portion. Inside the housing 2, a slot 15 that guides and holds the inserted HDD device 3 is provided facing the upper and lower sides.

  Details of the slot 15 are shown in FIG. The slot 15 includes a slot plate 16 formed by extruding aluminum and a pair of rails 17 and 18 projecting in parallel along an attaching / detaching direction of the HDD device. In the meantime, the guide rail 30 of the HDD 3 is guided to hold the HDD device 3 in a predetermined position. In this example, the pair of rails 17 and 18 are provided side by side on the slot plate 16 at a predetermined interval.

  Further, in the slot 15, a sheet metal 19 is disposed and fixed on the back side of the slot plate 16, and the front end portion of the sheet metal 19 is bent upwardly on the inlet side of the slot 15 to form a lock plate portion 20. Then, as will be described later, when the self-lock lever 9 is engaged with the lock plate portion 20, the HDD device 3 is fixed in the attaching / detaching direction. The rear end portion of the sheet metal 19 is bent vertically at the deepest side of the slot 15 to form a stopper portion 21, and when the HDD device 3 is inserted to the back of the slot 15, The rear end abutting portion 30a of the guide rail 30 of the HDD device 3 comes into contact with and stops.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 3, a motherboard board 25 is disposed in the housing 2 at the back of the slot 15, and a connector 26 corresponding to the HDD device 3 inserted into the slot 15 is provided on the motherboard board 25. It is attached. Then, in a state where the HDD device 3 is inserted until it hits the stopper portion 21, the connector 7 on the interface board 5 side of the HDD 3 is coupled to the connector 26 on the motherboard board 25 side, whereby the motherboard on the housing side and the HDD are connected. The body is electrically connected.

  In the case 2 of this example, the partition plates 27 for partitioning the HDD 3 every five units are provided in two locations inside the case 2, and the case 2 is reinforced by the partition plates 27 so that It has a structure that can sufficiently withstand the load when related equipment is placed.

  In the hard disk array unit 1 of the present example configured as described above, the HDD device 3 is fixed in the attaching / detaching direction with the HDD device 3 inserted and attached to the housing 2, and the HDD device 3 is also attached / detached. Fixation in two directions orthogonal to the direction, that is, the left-right direction and the up-down direction is also performed.

First, fixing of the HDD device in the attaching / detaching direction will be described.
As shown in FIG. 5, the fixing means in the attaching / detaching direction of the HDD device includes a self-lock lever 9 attached to the front portion of the caddy 4 and a lock plate portion 20 bent at the front end portion of the sheet metal 19. Is done. The fixing means in the attaching / detaching direction is provided symmetrically on both upper and lower sides of the hard disk array unit 1.

  The self-lock lever 9 has two levers, that is, an operation lever 10 and a lock lever 11. The operation lever 10 and the lock lever 11 are rotatably attached to the caddy 4 of the HDD 3 with the shafts 12 and 13 as fulcrums, and are formed to mesh with each other. In the state where the HDD device 3 is inserted until it hits the stopper portion 21 of the sheet metal 19, the engaging edge 11 b of the lock piece portion 11 a of the lock lever 11 is connected to the lock plate portion 20 of the sheet metal 19 as shown in FIG. The lock lever 11 is prevented from rotating in this state by abutting and engaging inside and operating the operation lever 10 so that the protruding piece 10a presses the protruding piece 11c of the lock lever 11. Locked. When the self-lock lever 9 is locked in this way, the HDD device 3 is securely fixed in the attaching / detaching direction in a state where it is stretched between the lock plate portion 20 at the front end of the metal plate 19 and the stopper portion 21 at the rear end. The

  Here, in the structure of this example, as a dimensional relationship when the self-lock lever 9 is locked, the dimension between the lock plate portion 20 at the front end of the metal plate 19 and the stopper portion 21 at the rear end is set to the HDD device 3 side. The sheet metal 19 is bent by being slightly smaller (about 0.3 mm) than the dimension between the engagement edge 11b of the lock lever 11 and the rear end abutting portion 30a of the guide rail 30. Therefore, the HDD device 3 is more reliably fixed in the attaching / detaching direction by the bending load of the sheet metal 19.

  When releasing the fixing of the HDD device in the attaching / detaching direction, the operating lever 10 of the self-locking lever 9 is operated from the state shown in FIG. 5 to remove the protruding piece 10a from the protruding piece 11c of the locking lever 11. The lock lever 11 is unlocked and can rotate, so that the HDD 3 can be freely pulled out from the slot 15 of the housing 2.

  Next, the right and left direction and vertical direction fixing means of the HDD device will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 to 10 (in this example, the horizontal direction and vertical direction fixing means are the first and second fixing means in the claims). 2). Both the horizontal and vertical fixing means are configured between the slot 15 on the housing 2 side and the guide rail 30 on the HDD device 3 side.

The fixing means in the left-right direction is provided on the guide rail 30 of the HDD device 3, and includes a beam portion 31 having a protrusion 31 a in part and a fixing plate 22 provided on the slot 15 side corresponding to the beam portion 31. Composed.
The guide rails 30 attached to the upper and lower sides of the caddy 4 of the HDD device 3 are molded products made of a synthetic resin such as PBT (polybutylene terephthalate). As shown in FIG. Beam portions 31 constituting fixing means are formed at two positions on the front and rear sides. The beam portion 31 is a thin mold portion formed by providing the guide rail 30 with a punch hole 32, and a protrusion 31a is formed at the center of the outer surface. The protrusion 31a is formed in a tapered shape whose tip is inclined with respect to the insertion direction so that the protrusion 31a can be smoothly brought into contact with the fixing plate 22.

  Further, a metal leaf spring 34 is incorporated in the guide rail 30 as an elastic auxiliary member inside the beam portion 31 at the portion of the punched hole 32. The leaf spring 34 is in contact with a small protrusion 31 b formed at the center of the inner surface of the beam portion 31. As the leaf spring 34, for example, a stainless steel plate is preferably used.

  As shown in FIG. 4, fixing plates 22 are provided at two positions in the front and rear of the slot 15 on the housing 2 side corresponding to the protrusion 31 a of the beam portion 31 of the guide rail 30. The fixing plate 22 is formed by cutting and raising a part of the sheet metal 19 and protrudes through a hole 23 formed in the middle portion of the rail 17 of the slot plate 16.

  In this configuration, when the correspondence relationship between the protrusion 31a of the guide rail 30 and the fixing plate 22 in the state where the guide rail 30 is inserted into the slot 15 is seen, as shown in FIG. About 5 mm). Therefore, in the state where the HDD 3 is inserted all the way into the slot 15, as shown in FIG. 7B, the projection 31a of the guide rail 30 abuts against the fixed plate 22, whereby the beam portion 31 of the mold and the leaf spring 34 are obtained. Is distorted laterally with respect to the insertion direction. Then, a lateral force is generated by the strain stress, and the guide rail 30 is pressed against the rail 18 side of the slot 15 to fix the HDD device 3 in the left-right direction.

  In this right and left direction fixing means, the strain stress is increased by incorporating the leaf spring 34 as an elastic auxiliary member inside the beam portion 31, thereby further reliably fixing. Here, it is designed so that the strain stress of the metal leaf spring 34 is larger than that of the beam portion 31 of the mold which is easily affected by heat and has a large stress value variation. In this configuration, the stress to be generated can be adjusted by appropriately setting the length, thickness, and width of the beam portion 31 and the leaf spring 34.

  In this example, the fixing means in the left-right direction is composed of a total of four locations, two at the top and bottom, and in the design, a strain stress of 10.2 kgf is generated at one location, which is a total of 40. Fixing is performed with a force of 8 kgf.

  Further, in the configuration of this example, the protrusions 31a at the two front and rear portions of the guide rail 30 are offset so that the HDD device 3 can be smoothly attached and detached. In other words, in this example, the rear protrusion 31a (R) is formed by retracting about 0.7 mm with respect to the front protrusion 31a (F) of the guide rail 30 (corresponding to this, The fixing plates 22 (F) and 22 (R) are also offset laterally). For this reason, when the HDD device 3 is attached / detached, the protrusion 31a (R) on the rear side of the guide rail 30 is not caught on the fixing plate 22 (F) on the front side of the slot 15, and smooth attachment / detachment is performed.

  In the above configuration, the leaf spring 34 is used as an elastic auxiliary member incorporated in the guide rail 30. However, instead of the leaf spring 34, a coil spring 35 as shown in FIG.

Next, the vertical fixing means will be described.
The fixing means in the vertical direction includes a tapered raised portion 37 formed on the guide rail 30 and a tapered groove 39 provided on the slot 15 side corresponding to the raised portion 37.
As shown in FIG. 6, the guide rail 30 is provided with raised portions 37 and 38 at two front and rear sides on the side opposite to the side where the protrusion 31a is provided. The raised portions 37 and 38 are portions that receive a lateral force from the slot 15 in contact with the rail 18 of the slot 15 when the HDD device 3 is fully inserted. The portion 37 is formed in a taper shape that spreads at the bottom. The tapered raised portion 37 is provided only on the lower guide rail. In the upper guide rail, the front raised portion 37 is formed in the same simple raised shape as the rear raised portion 38. ing.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 4, a taper groove 39 having an inclined surface corresponding to the raised portion 37 in front of the guide rail 30 is formed on the slot 15 side along the inner surface side of the rail 18.
In the state where the HDD device 3 is inserted to the back of the slot 15, as shown in FIG. 9, the raised portion 37 fits into the tapered groove 39, and guides using the downward force generated by the taper. The rail 30 is pressed against the slot 15 to fix in the vertical direction.

  FIG. 10 is a detailed explanatory view of fixing in the vertical direction by this taper. That is, when the HDD device 3 is inserted all the way into the slot 15, first, as described above, the protrusion 31a of the guide rail 30 is located on the slot 15 side. A lateral force (F 1) is generated by abutting against the fixing plate 22, and the guide rail 30 is pressed against the rail 18 of the slot 15, where the raised portion 37 is caused to be tapered by the taper between the raised portion 37 and the tapered groove 39. A force (F2) is generated in the tapered groove 39. The vertical component of this force becomes a force (F3) that presses the guide rail 30 against the slot 15, thereby fixing the HDD device in the vertical direction.

  Here, particularly in the structure of this example, the raised portion 37 of the guide rail 30 is formed to have a taper with a small inclination angle with respect to the tapered groove 39, so that the raised portion 37 is easily inserted into the tapered groove 39. More secure fixing is performed.

  In this example, as described above, only the raised portion 37 in front of the guide rail 30 is formed in a tapered shape, and the vertical fixing is performed only on this portion. On the other hand, the rear raised portion 38 only touches the rail 18 of the slot 15 and there is no restriction in the vertical direction. Thus, by eliminating the restriction in the vertical direction behind the guide rail 30, that is, on the back side of the HDD device 3, the connecting portion between the connector 7 of the interface board 5 of the HDD 3 and the connector 26 of the motherboard board 25 on the housing 2 side. Since the load on the connector is reduced, there is no possibility that the connector will be damaged.

  As described above, in the hard disk array unit 1 of this example, in the state where the HDD 3 is inserted and mounted in the housing 2, in addition to fixing the mounting direction of the HDD device 3, two directions perpendicular to the mounting direction of the HDD device 3 are provided. That is, since the fixing in the horizontal direction and the vertical direction is performed, the HDD device 3 is securely fixed without any backlash in the housing 2 and can withstand strong vibration and impact. Moreover, since this structure is a fixed structure that does not use screws or the like, it can be easily attached and detached.

The fixing structure according to the present invention is not limited to the hard disk array unit shown in the above embodiment, and can be applied to various electronic devices.
FIG. 11 shows an example in which the present invention is applied to a PC (personal computer). In the figure, 40 is a PC main body, 41 is a monitor, and 42 is a keyboard. Here, the present invention is applied to a fixing structure of an optical disk drive device 43 such as a CD-ROM or DVD that is detachably mounted on the PC main body 40. . That is, in this case, the slot 15 as shown in FIG. 4 is provided on the PC main body 40 side, and the guide rail 30 as shown in FIG. When attached, it is securely fixed without rattling in the left-right direction and the up-down direction.

  In addition to this PC, the present invention can be widely applied to electronic devices including a disk drive device.

1 is a perspective view showing an overall configuration of a hard disk array unit that is an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the hard disk drive device mounted in the hard disk array unit of an Example. In an Example, it is a perspective view which shows the housing | casing by which a hard-disk drive device is mounted | worn. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of the slot in an Example. It is a side view which shows the structure of the self-locking lever in an Example. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of the guide rail in an Example. It is a top view which shows the structure of the principal part in an Example. It is a top view which shows the other structural example of the principal part. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the structure of the principal part in an Example. It is explanatory drawing of the fixing structure in FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of the personal computer to which this invention is applied.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Hard disk array unit, 2 ... Housing | casing, 3 ... Hard disk drive (HDD) apparatus, 15 ... Slot, 22 ... Fixed plate, 30 ... Guide rail, 31 ... Beam part, 31a ... Projection, 34 ... Leaf spring (elastic support) Member), 37 ... raised portion, 39 ... taper groove

Claims (7)

A structure for fixing a disk drive device that is detachably attached to a housing,
A slot provided on the housing side, and a guide rail provided on the disk drive device side and inserted in the slot to guide the disk drive device to a predetermined position, and between the slot and the guide rail Includes a first fixing means and a second fixing means for fixing in a first direction and a second direction orthogonal to the attaching / detaching direction of the disk drive device,
The first fixing means includes a beam portion provided on the guide rail and partially having a protrusion, and a fixing plate provided on the slot side corresponding to the beam portion, and the guide rail is In the state of being inserted into the slot, the projection is brought into contact with the fixing plate, whereby the beam portion is distorted, and the guide rail is pressed against the slot by the stress, thereby fixing the disk drive device in the first direction. Done,
The second fixing means includes a tapered raised portion formed on the guide rail, and a tapered groove provided on the slot side corresponding to the raised portion, and the guide rail is formed in the slot. In the inserted state, the raised portion is fitted into the tapered groove, whereby the guide rail is pressed against the slot to fix the disk drive device in the second direction. The fixed structure of the device.   2. The structure for fixing a disk drive device according to claim 1, wherein an elastic auxiliary member for increasing the strain stress of the beam portion is incorporated in the guide rail inside the beam portion.   2. The disk drive device fixing structure according to claim 1, wherein in the guide rail, the raised portion is formed in a taper having a small inclination angle with respect to the taper groove. A disk drive device that is detachably attached to a housing,
There is a guide rail that is inserted into a slot provided in the housing and guides the disk drive device to a predetermined position. Between the guide rail and the slot, a first is perpendicular to the mounting / demounting direction of the disk drive device. First and second fixing means for fixing the direction and the second direction are configured,
The guide rail is provided with a beam part having a protrusion in a part constituting the first fixing means and a tapered raised part constituting the second fixing means, and the guide rail is In the state of being inserted into the slot, the projection is brought into contact with the fixing plate provided on the slot side, so that the beam portion is distorted, and the guide rail is pressed against the slot by the stress, thereby fixing in the first direction. And the guide rail is pressed against the slot to be fixed in the second direction by fitting the raised portion into a tapered groove provided on the slot side. Disk drive device.   5. The disk drive device according to claim 4, wherein an elastic auxiliary member for increasing the strain stress of the beam portion is incorporated in the guide rail inside the beam portion.   5. The disk drive device according to claim 4, wherein in the guide rail, the raised portion is formed to have a taper having a small inclination angle with respect to the taper groove. A housing in which a disk drive device is detachably mounted,
A guide rail provided in the disk drive device is inserted to have a slot for holding the disk drive device in a predetermined position, and a gap between the slot and the guide rail is perpendicular to the mounting / demounting direction of the disk drive device. A first fixing means and a second fixing means for fixing the first direction and the second direction;
The slot is provided in correspondence with a beam portion having a protrusion on a part provided on the guide rail, and includes a fixing plate constituting the first fixing means, and a tapered shape provided on the guide rail. A taper groove provided corresponding to the raised portion and constituting the second fixing means, and in a state where the guide rail is inserted into the slot, the protrusion comes into contact with the fixing plate. The beam portion is distorted, and the guide rail is pressed against the slot by the stress to fix the disk drive device in the first direction, and the raised portion is fitted into the tapered groove, whereby the guide is fixed. A housing having a structure in which a rail is pressed against the slot to fix the disk drive device in a second direction.

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