JPH06215553A - Detachable disk-drive-carrier assembly - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To attain a replacing operation in a field by making this device detachable by providing quickly detachable components. CONSTITUTION: A disk drive carrier assembly 40 is provided with a carrier frame 41, and an HDA frame 43 is fixed and mounted on one face at the front part, and an electronic card pack 47 is detachably mounted at the rear part of the same face. The pack 47 is constituted of a metal frame 49 on which an electronic card 51 is mounted, and a screw 48 is fixed to frames 41 and 43 with an easily detachable fastener. An HDA 45 is housed in a slot in the frame 43 by a shock mount 44. The mount 44 is pressurized to the HDA frame slot with an easily detachable clip 46 or the like. The rotary handle at the front edge of the carrier frame is engaged with a fixing tab on the guide rail of the housing unit, the carrier assembly is drawn inside, and the assembly is fixed during the drive operation. Thus, this device can be quickly detached and fixed, and the replacing operation in a field can be attained.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to mass storage devices. Specifically, a transportation assembly (hereinafter referred to as a carrier assembly) equipped with one or more removable storage devices.
The present invention relates to a magnetic disk or similar device and one or more circuit board packs, and a carrier assembly facilitates installation (hereinafter referred to as installation) of a storage device in an information storage system including a plurality of storage devices. To do so.

[0002]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION In computer systems, one major element is the place where information is stored. Computer systems typically include some storage means.
For example, a disk drive or direct access storage device (D
ASD). More generally, especially in large computer systems, DASDs mounted on shelves or drawers are arranged online and used to store data.

Disc drives and DASDs use discs that are similar to records used in record players and compact discs (CDs) used in CD players. The disks spin just like a record, stacked flat on a spindle. 1 for disk drives
The disks are mounted so that they do not touch each other.

A storage device using a magnetic disk or an optical disk is well known as a large capacity and low cost device. Such discs have concentric tracks on one or both sides for storing information. The information on the tracks is accessed by a transducer or transducer head, which moves between tracks during seeks and remains aligned with the track during reading and writing. There is one or more heads for each storage surface. The electromechanical assembly that rotates the disk relative to the head and moves it relative to the disk surface for track access is called the head and disk assembly (HDA). There is a control mechanism to keep the head within each data track, which works with a stepping motor, a closed loop servo or a time sampled servo and is always on. This is done by the detent of the mechanically positioning actuator. Further, an interface device is required to connect the HDA to the controller and to communicate between the disk drive and the computer system. Typically, for example, a small computer synchronous interface (small
You can use standardized interfaces such as computer synchronous interface (SCSI).

Today's technology for data storage devices is notable for standardization, increased capacity, reduced storage device weight and size, and reduced power consumption. Size standardization called form factor and interface compatibility are being pursued by manufacturers of desktop computers such as PCs, workstations and large computer systems. Disk drives from different manufacturers with different performances and capacities but with standard form factors and plug-ins can be used interchangeably on different PCs using the PC's standardized plug-in slots.

Increasing the storage capacity of a system while reducing the size of the disk drive requires a careful balance between reducing the disk surface area and the corresponding reduction in storage capacity. A typical tradeoff is
Either increase the number of disks per spindle or increase the number of disk drives. In large-scale systems, a large number of relatively small disk drives are used in a drawer to provide mass storage, which allows the power and cooling equipment to be shared and power consumption to be reduced. There are advantages.

In mass storage on shelves or drawers, increased storage capacity can be achieved by increasing the capacity of individual disk drives or the number of disk drives.
Normally, both methods are used. What is further needed is an increase in capacity to be achieved using standard sized equipment without increasing the system footprint. Further, large-scale systems require on-line maintenance to repair or replace failed equipment as well as regular maintenance. Online maintenance requires that disk drives be removed and installed without powering the system. In the prior art, since the electric circuit necessary for operating the disk drive is inside the housing of the disk drive, it is necessary to remove or install the disk drive unit to repair the defective electric circuit. Removing the disk drive from the system can lead to loss of data stored on the storage device. This is a serious consideration for this type of storage system, especially in non-redundant systems where the storage is difficult to rebuild and cannot easily be transferred to another device.

[0008]

U.S. Patent to Edging et al.
5,045,960 (disclosed 9/3/1991) discloses a disk drive module mounted on a carrier frame that is removably installable in a computer system. The carrier frame includes guide means for cooperating with a storage track on the inner wall of the computer housing so that when the disk drive is inserted into the computer housing, the connector at the front of the drive module is on the housing side. It is designed to mate with the fixed connector of. Similarly, US Pat. No. 4,912,580 (3/27/1990) to Hanson et al. Discloses a disk drive carrier module with a disk drive that is removably installable in a storage unit of a computer system. This disk drive carrier module is provided with a connector and a guide means so that when the carrier module is inserted into the housing side of the computer, the housing side connector and the module connector automatically engage with each other. These and other patents disclose removable disk drive modules that can be removed and installed by the system operator and moved between computer systems. While these prior art removable disk drive modules alleviated the problem of having to manually loosen the nuts and bolts and disconnect many cables when removing the module, they were the solution for mass storage devices. It does not provide field replacements for components such as HDAs and electronics needed for future maintenance.

[0009]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention is a removable disk drive with quick disconnect components.
Its main purpose is to provide a carrier assembly and enable replacement work in the field.

The present invention further provides a disk drive carrier assembly having a connector that mates with a fixed connector mounted on the rear side of the host system storage unit. This device provides all the power when the carrier assembly connector mates with the host connector.
It is for exchanging data and control signals between them.

The present invention also provides an assembly that does not require the host system to be powered down when installing or removing the disk drive carrier assembly.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a disk drive carrier assembly having a quick-releasing holding means and a connector means that does not require manual insertion and fitting of a cable.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a disk drive carrier assembly having guide means for cooperating with storage-side track means, whereby a connector mounted on a carrier is a fixed connector on the storage side. Automatic positioning and mating, and automatic electrical connection when the carrier assembly is seated in the host.

The above-described objects of the present invention include an equipment means for cooperating with the guide means provided in the storage unit of the host system for storing the carrier frame and for fixing the positions of the storage unit and the carrier frame. Disk drive carrier with carrier frame to have
Achieved by assembly. The equipment means cooperates with the guide means to facilitate the work of inserting the carrier assembly into the storage unit or removing the carrier assembly from the storage unit. The disk drive module is removably mounted on the carrier frame and the circuit board pack is also removably mounted on the carrier frame for connection to the disk drive. Circuit board packs include at least one circuit board carrying electronic circuitry associated with a disk drive. The electrical connector means is mounted on a disk drive carrier and connected to an electronic circuit, and when the carrier assembly is inserted into the storage unit, the electrical connector means is detachably meshed with the electric connector means fixedly mounted on the storage unit to form a carrier. The disk drive module and its association when the assembly and the storage unit are in engagement with the storage unit's electrical connector means and when the carrier assembly's electrical connector means is in engagement with the storage unit's electrical connector means. The electronic circuit and the host system are connected by power, control and data signals.

A preferred embodiment of a disk drive carrier assembly according to the present invention is a 3.5 inch form factor HDA that can be removed onto a carrier frame using a quick-release shock mount. The electronic card pack or circuit board pack is mounted on a two-level frame and the two-level frame is removably mounted on the carrier frame using quick release fasteners. H
The DA is connected to the electronic card pack with three plug-in cables, while the electronic card pack is fastened to the carrier frame with quick release screws. The connector plug of the carrier assembly frame is fixed and placed on the rear end of the circuit board contained in the electronic card pack.
It engages with a fixed connector plug that is fixedly mounted on the back plane of the back side, that is, the inner end of the storage unit of the host system. The back-to-back edges of the carrier frame act as guides and support means, and when the carrier assembly is inserted into the storage unit, it is received in a groove made in the guide rail inside the storage unit. When the carrier assembly is inserted into the storage unit, the alignment pins protruding from the fixed connector plug of the storage unit align and mate with the connector plug of the carrier assembly.

A handle means rotatably mounted on the front end of the carrier frame engages a locking tab on the guide rails of the storage unit to exert a force that pulls the carrier assembly inwardly, thereby engaging the connector firmly and operating the drive. Make sure that the middle carrier assembly is firmly fixed. Field repair of the failed unit can be accomplished by loosening the handle and removing the carrier assembly. Remove the defective component or HDA or electronic card pack, place the new component on the carrier frame and then reinstall the carrier assembly in the storage unit. The electrical connector pins are designed so that the electrical connection is always first and last, and the ground connection is always first and last, so you can disconnect the carrier assembly without powering down the host system. Or can be installed.

[0017]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring to FIGS. 1, 2 and 3. FIG. 1 is an exploded view of the disk drive 10. The invention is applicable to all suitable DASDs. The disk drive 10, also referred to herein as a disk head assembly (HDA),
The HDA frame 43 including the housing 11 and the housing cover 13 and shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 after being assembled.
It fits inside. Within the housing 11 is an actuator arm assembly 17 mounted for rotation on an actuator shaft 15. There is an E-shaped or comb structure 19 with a plurality of arms 18 at one end of the actuator arm assembly 17. A load spring 21 is attached to the arm 18 above the comb structure 19. A slider 23 is attached to the end of each load spring. The slider has a magnetic transducer or transducer (not shown)
There is. At the other end of the actuator arm assembly 17, the opposite end of the load spring 21 and slider 23, is the voice coil 25.

One magnet 27 is provided in the housing 11.
There is a pair. The magnet 27 and the voice coil 25 are important components of the voice coil motor, and provide a force for rotating the actuator arm assembly 17 on the actuator shaft 15. A spindle shaft 29 is also mounted in the housing 11. Spindle shaft 2
A plurality of discs 31 are attached to 9 so that they can rotate. In FIG. 1, eight discs are mounted on the spindle shaft 29 apart from each other. Flexible cable 3
3 exchanges electrical signals with the actuator arm assembly 17 to provide power and control signals to a spindle motor (not shown) and to impart rotational movement to the disk 31 on the spindle 29.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of one embodiment of a disk drive carrier assembly in accordance with the principles of the present invention. The disk drive carrier assembly 40 has a carrier frame 41, and an HDA frame 43 is fixedly mounted on one surface of a front portion of the carrier frame, and a circuit board pack, that is, an electronic card is mounted on a rear portion of the same surface of the frame 41. The pack 47 is placed in a removable form. The electronic card pack 47 includes a metal frame 49 on which one or more electronic cards 51 are placed, and screws 48
Alternatively, it may be fastened to the carrier frame 41 and HDA frame 43 with other suitable easy release fasteners, such as hook type fasteners. HDA4 as shown by HDA10 in FIG.
5 is, for example, a 3.5-inch form factor, HD
It is mounted on the A frame 43 and is housed in the slot 52 formed in the HDA frame 43 by the shock mount 44. The shock mount is secured to the HDA frame slot with a quick release clip 46 or other suitable easy release tool.

An electrical connector (shown as connector 59 in FIG. 4) mounted on the rear portion of the carrier frame or, alternatively, at the rear end of electronic card 51 provides all electrical connections on HDA 45 and associated electronic card 51. To provide electronic components. The electrical connector on the carrier assembly is
It exchanges all control and data signals with the host system and provides all power connections to the HDA and associated electronics. A handle 53 is attached to the front of the carrier assembly and is rotatably attached to the carrier frame 11. The handle 53 is a means for carrying the carrier assembly 40, and a means for storing the carrier assembly in the storage unit of the host system or for removing it from the storage unit.

4, 5 and 6 will be described. 4 and 5 are exploded perspective views of the frame and circuit board of the electronic card pack 47 drawn in perspective. The electronic card pack frame is composed of a frame 49 consisting of two parts and is fastened to the circuit boards 51a, 51b, 5 through the corresponding holes 52a.
It has a gap for mounting 1c and various mounting tabs. Appropriate fasteners such as screws and rivets are suitable for the fasteners. After the circuit board board is firmly pressed to the frame 49, the electronic card pack 4 is inserted through the tab 71 on the front part of the card pack and the tab 73 formed on the carrier frame 41 (shown in FIG. 6) on the rear part of the card pack 47.
7, using a fastener that can be easily removed, such as a screw,
The electronic card pack 47 is attached to the carrier frame 41 (shown in FIG. 3). The electrical connector plug 59 of the carrier assembly rests on the circuit board 51c of the card pack 47. The plug 59 is secured to the circuit board, for example by rivets, through the holes 74a and 74b in the circuit board and connector, respectively. Alternatively, the electrical connector plug may be mounted directly on the carrier frame 41. Structure of electric card pack 47 and carrier frame 47
Removable mounting on the carrier allows the electronics of the carrier assembly to be replaced easily, quickly and reliably in the field in the event of a failure.

The electrical card pack 47 has sufficient card area and includes a data channel, controller, system interface and circuitry for power distribution in the HDA.
Has all the circuitry for operation. Utilizing the concept of a field replaceable unit (FRU) not only facilitates field repairs, but also uses replaceable electronic card packs 47 to easily and quickly enhance the functionality of the device. be able to. It is also possible to make different controller configurations with different card packs. For example, initially a disk drive carrier assembly with a device level interface (eg IPI interface) can be manufactured and later field upgraded to a more intelligent, buffered host channel level interface such as SCSI. Specifically, the carrier assembly electronics uses a supply voltage of between + 30V and + 40V for most disk drives HDA.
It is desirable to have a DC-DC converter that can convert between 5V and + 12V. On the contrary, electronics is + 5V
And + 12V input power can be used directly.

The HDA 45 is a connector 6 on the circuit board 55.
Via 6 are connected to the electronics by three cables 63, 64, 57. Circuit board 55 is HDA
Supply necessary control, data, and power signals to. The various circuit boards 51a, 51b, 51c are, if necessary,
Connected together by cables, connectors, or other means. The carrier assembly 40 has an operator panel including an LED system condition indicator board 65 to indicate a drive failure and allow operator control over write protection, port disable, drive spin-up, etc. with an operator switch 67. It has become. The operator panel rests on a circuit board 55 at the front of the carrier assembly (shown in FIG. 8) and is connected by cables 57 to the other electronics of the carrier assembly.

Next, FIGS. 6 and 7 will be described. FIG. 6 is a rear view of carrier assembly 40 showing the arrangement of electrical connectors 59. FIG. 7A is a plan view of the connector, showing the arrangement of the connector pins. 7B and 7C show a circuit board 51.
It is the side view which shows the cross section of the connector mounted in c, and the figure which shows the length of a pin. The electrical connector used in the carrier assembly 40 includes a receptacle plug or female portion 59 on the carrier assembly side and a header plug or male portion on the storage unit side (see FIGS. 9 and 10) when the carrier assembly 40 is installed in the storage unit. (Shown in connector 81) is a connector consisting of two parts that interlock with each other. The connectors 59 and 81 have 128 pins of 4 × 32 and are shown as a pin array 71 in FIG. The connectors 59 and 81 have three types of pins having different lengths. Ground pin 1 is the longest, power pin 3 is the shortest, and data and control signal pin 2 is the middle length. This pin arrangement ensures that power is first removed and ground last whenever the connector is removed. Conversely, when the carrier assembly is inserted into the storage unit and the connectors 59 and 81 engage,
The ground always connects first and the power connects last. This pin arrangement allows the carrier assembly to be installed and removed without powering down the storage unit or host system. The connector 59 of the carrier assembly has a gap 75 (shown in FIGS. 9 and 10) for receiving the alignment pin 77 on the storage unit side, and when the carrier assembly 40 is inserted into the storage unit, before the pins are engaged with each other. The connectors 59 and 81 are arranged so that they can be reliably aligned.

Further explanation of FIGS. 8, 9 and 10 will be given. The carrier assembly storage unit 80 has a pair of opposing walls or rails 85 or the like, with an open front portion receiving the carrier assembly and a closed interior or rear portion forming a backplane 83. . The storage unit has a guide track or groove 87 made on the inward facing surface of the rail 85 that gently slides along the long side of the carrier frame 41 as the carrier assembly 40 slides in and out of the storage unit 80. And carrier guide 40 in cooperation with oppositely formed guides 42. When the carrier assembly 40 is slid into the storage unit, the conical alignment pin 77 smoothly fits into the alignment gap 75 of the connector 59 of the carrier assembly. The alignment pin 77 is made to ensure a reliable alignment before and when the connectors 59 and 81 are engaged.

When the carrier assembly 40 is fully seated in the storage unit, the handle 53 (shown in FIG. 8) is held in a fixed position using the pivot shaft and the tab 56 at the end of the handle causes the storage unit side rail 85. It engages a cam-shaped tab 86 made on the. When the handle 53 is pressed to the locked position, an inward force is exerted along the long side of the carrier frame 41 to hold the carrier assembly in the storage unit and ensure the electromechanical engagement of the connectors 59 and 81. To do. Rotate the handle 53 and remove it from the locked position.
4 causes the holding arms protruding in the front part of the carrier frame to push back the springs and act to release them, thereby separating the connector 59 from the connector 81 and pulling the carrier assembly out of the storage unit. The AMP connector plugs for female part number 646249-1 and male part number 646247-1 are suitable plugs for this purpose.

Another implementation in accordance with the principles of the present invention is shown in FIG. The plurality of disk drive carrier assemblies 110 includes a carrier frame 111 having two HDAs 113 and 115 detachably mounted thereon.
And an electronic card pack 117 that provides all the circuits and components needed to operate and control two HDAs.
Consists of. As shown in FIGS. 2 to 7, HDA1
An electrical connector is mounted on the electronic card pack 117 or on the carrier frame 111 in order to send and receive data, control and power signals to 13 and 115, and a corresponding connector is provided in the storage unit. is there. Also, as described with reference to FIGS. 8 to 10, there are guide rails 112 and handles 121 at both ends along the long side of the carrier frame so that the carrier assembly 110 can be detachably installed in the storage unit. There is.

As a concrete embodiment, the HDA of the 2.5-inch form factor magnetic disk drive is mounted on the carrier frame 111 by using a shock mount which can be easily removed.
It is a desirable example to mount it in a removable form. As an alternative, it is also a desirable embodiment that the disk drive carrier assembly comprises four 1.8 inch form factor magnetic disk drives HDA, which are detachably mounted on the carrier frame 111. When embodying multiple disk drives HDA in one carrier frame, the electronics embodied in the electronic card pack may be designed to be centrally controlled as one storage or array control, or alternatively, It may be designed to control and control data as a plurality of disk drives that can be addressed one by one.

In one preferred implementation shown in FIG. 2,
The disk drive module HDA45 is a 3.5-inch form factor magnetic disk drive with a capacity of 2 gigabytes. All the electronics for HDA operation are contained in an electronic card pack. The finished disk drive carrier assembly measures 280.8mm in length, 108.3mm in width and 44.6mm in height. The FRU card is designed to maximize the cooling airflow of the hot components. Cooling openings are designed into the carrier assembly to allow sufficient cooling of the HDA and electronic components by the longitudinal or vertical airflow created by the storage unit fan and cooling system. The HDA frame is a structurally sound assembly that combines an electronic card pack frame and a carrier frame, and is designed to withstand the forces and other forces exerted when the carrier assembly is in and out. With the use of four shock mounts to mount the HDA on the HDA frame, it can withstand an impact force of 10g during operation and up to 100g when stopped.

FIGS. 12 and 13 are another preferred embodiment, in which a number of disk drive carrier assemblies 40 are removably drawn to provide direct access data storage on high capacity storage devices. 120
(Shown in FIG. 12). Drawer 120
Accessible from both ends, there is a chassis 122 on which various system components are mounted and access doors are attached at both ends. The drawer 120 has a large number of adjacent storage units 124, and each storage unit is partitioned by a pair of opposing carrier mounting rails 125 and a backplane 127 at the rear portion of the storage unit 124. Each of the mounting rails 125 comprises a guide track made on the opposite inner wall, which guide track receives the guide rail 42 made along the long side of the carrier frame 41. The carrier mounting rail 125 is provided in the drawer 120 when the carrier assembly 40 is installed in the storage unit 124.
And plays a role of a mounting frame for holding the backplane 127 so that it is fixed in relation to the backplane 127. In addition, the guide track serves as a guide and alignment when inserting or pulling out the carrier assembly 40.

As shown in detail in FIGS. 9 and 10, since the meshing portion of the electrical connector 59 of the carrier assembly is projected rearward, the connector mounting portion of the fixing portion on the backplane of the storage unit and the automatic mounting portion of the connector are automatically arranged. Can be interconnected together.

As shown in FIG. 8, since the handle 53 is provided with a latch mechanism, when the carrier assembly 40 is installed in the storage unit, the connector of the carrier assembly and the connector of the storage unit are electromechanically engaged with each other. To ensure. The handle 53, in the locked position, exerts a force that pushes inward so that the connector of the carrier assembly is firmly seated in the connector of the storage unit. When the handle 53 is turned to the unlocked position to remove the carrier assembly 40, a pushing back force is exerted on the carrier assembly to disengage the connector of the carrier assembly from the connector of the storage unit.

FIG. 13 is a front view of the mass storage device 130, which is a system in which a large number of disk drive storage devices, one by one, are placed on a shelf to form an array of continuous disk drives. Cabinet 132
Indicates. Such arrays are systems that include redundancy and can provide one or more levels of data protection. Or CPU, floppy disk,
It could also be a mass online storage of individually addressable disk drives in a computer system with a keyboard, display, printer, etc. In the information storage system cabinet 132,
Power supply 133, cooling system component 1
35, and a shelf or drawer equipped with system electronic components 131, eg, containing a disk controller, system interface, microprocessor, etc. This type of storage device includes one or more drawers 12
Zeros can be placed vertically on the shelves in a removable manner to create the required amount of storage. For example, as a typical case, one disk drive with 2 GB each
A storage device system cabinet consisting of nine drawers, with six in one drawer, has 144 disk drives and a total of 288 gigabytes of storage.

[0034]

As described above, the present invention provides a disk drive carrier assembly that can be easily and quickly removed and installed so that a failed disk drive or associated electronic circuit board can be used in a mass information storage system. Is intended to be exchangeable in the field. In particular, in view of the importance of the operation of the online system, it is possible to do this without turning off the power of the unit for housing the disk drive carrier assembly, that is, the host system.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of an HDA used in a disk drive carrier assembly of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a disk drive carrier assembly in accordance with the principles of the present invention.

3 is an exploded view of the disk drive carrier assembly of FIG.

4 is an exploded view of an electronic card pack for the disk drive carrier assembly of FIG.

5 is an exploded view of the electronic card of the electronic card pack shown in FIG.

6 is a rear view of the disk drive carrier assembly shown in FIG. 2, showing an electronic card pack and electrical connectors.

7 (A) and 7 (B) are plan views showing the pin arrangement and pin lengths of the electrical connector shown in FIG. 6, and FIG. 7 (C) is a side view of the electrical connector shown in FIG. is there.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the front surface of the disk drive carrier assembly shown in FIG. 2, showing a handle according to the present invention.

9 is a side view of the alignment pins of the electrical connector of the disk drive carrier assembly of FIG.

10 is a top view of the disk drive carrier assembly of FIG. 2 partially inserted into the storage unit, showing the alignment pins of the electrical connector.

FIG. 11 is an exploded view of another embodiment of the disk drive carrier assembly of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a view showing a drawer used in an information storage system having a plurality of drives with a surface layer cut off, showing a state in which a plurality of the disk drive carrier assemblies of FIG. 1 according to the present invention are housed.

13 is a front view of a cabinet of an information storage system using a plurality of drawers shown in FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

10 disk drive 11 housing or carrier frame 13 housing cover 15 actuator shaft 17 actuator arm assembly 18 arm 19 comb structure or E block arm 25 voice coil 27 magnet 31 disk 40 disk drive carrier
Assembly 42 Guide rail 43 HDA frame 44 Shock mount 45 HDA 47 Circuit board pack or electronic card pack 49 Metal frame 51a / 51b / 51c Electronic card board 53 Handle 59, 81 Electrical connector 57/63/64 Cable 65 System condition indicator 67 Operator Switch 77 Alignment pin 120 Drawer 122 Chassis 130 Mass storage system 131 System electronic components 132 System cabinet 133 Power supply 135 Cooling system components

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued Front Page (72) Inventor Stephen Alf Hansen United States 95136 San Jose, California Postio Circle 258 (72) Inventor Michael Robert Hatchet United States 95120 San Jose, California Desert Flame Drive 6322 (72) Inventor Hubert Chu Lee United States 95120 San Jose Siauota Drive, CA 6872 (72) Inventor Daniel Scott Needrich United States 95111 San Jose, California Branum Lane 369 (72) Inventor Ernest Frank Pitts Junior United States 95124 San Jose Inverness Circle, CA 1601 (72) Inventor Curtis Wayman Woon United States 95120 San Jose, CA Wild Creek Drive 7263

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A removable disk drive carrier for use in an information storage system including at least one storage unit equipped with electrical connector means.
An assembly, comprising a carrier frame having equipment means cooperating with guide means made in the storage unit, housed in the storage unit and held in a fixed position, and the equipment means cooperating with the guide means. Enabling insertion of the disk drive carrier assembly into the storage unit and removal of the disk drive carrier assembly from the storage unit; and at least one removably mounted on the carrier frame. A disk drive unit, a circuit board pack detachably mounted on the carrier frame, connected to the disk drive unit, and equipped with at least one circuit board having electronic circuits associated with the disk drive unit; Cat The disk drive carrier is mounted on a rear assembly and connected to the electronic circuit, and removably meshes with an electrical connector means of the storage unit when the disk drive carrier assembly is inserted into the storage unit. The disk drive when the assembly is removably engaged with the electrical connector means of the storage unit when the assembly is in the fixed position of the storage unit, and when the electrical connector means is engaged with the electrical connector means of the storage unit And a disk drive carrier assembly comprising electrical connector means for connecting power, control and data signals between the electronic circuit and the information storage system. 2. The removable disk drive
A carrier assembly has a front portion thereof for inserting the carrier assembly into the storage unit and removing the carrier assembly from the storage unit, and to the storage unit when the carrier assembly is installed in the storage unit. A disk drive carrier assembly according to claim 1 including handle means for holding the. 3. The removable disk drive
In the carrier assembly, the handle means is attached to the carrier frame so as to rotate, holds the carrier assembly in the storage unit in the locked position of the handle means, and inserts the carrier assembly in the unlocked position, The disk drive carrier assembly of claim 2, wherein the disk drive carrier assembly is removable and portable. 4. The removable disk drive
In the carrier assembly, when the carrier assembly is fully inserted into the storage unit and the handle means is rotated from the unlocked position to the locked position, the handle means is a cam-like tab formed on the storage unit. And the handle means generates a force towards the inside of the carrier assembly to ensure that the electrical connector means of the carrier assembly and the electrical connector means of the storage unit mesh electromechanically. 4. The disk drive carrier assembly according to claim 3, wherein. 5. The removable disk drive
In the carrier assembly, when the handle means is rotated from the locked position to the unlocked position, the handle means cooperates with a retaining bracket means formed at a front end of the carrier frame to generate a popping force. 5. The disk drive carrier according to claim 4, wherein the popping force releases the carrier assembly to the outside so that the electrical connector means of the carrier assembly can be reliably separated from the electrical connector means of the storage unit. assembly. 6. The removable disk drive
In the carrier assembly, the electrical connector means of the carrier assembly and the electrical connector means of the storage unit form a connector including a receptacle plug and a header plug, and the electrical connector means of the carrier assembly forms the receptacle plug, The electrical connector means of said storage unit comprises said header plug, said header plug including a plurality of connector pins, said plurality of said header assemblies being capable of installing and removing said carrier assembly without powering down said storage unit. The disk drive carrier assembly according to claim 1, wherein connector pins are arranged.