Hard disk drive with built-in electrostatic discharge device

Abstract

The invention relates to a hard disk electrostatic discharge technology, and discloses a hard disk drive with a built-in electrostatic discharge device, which comprises a power management module, a control execution module, an environment monitoring module, an electrostatic discharge module and a hard disk module. The power management module takes power from a standby power supply of the computer; the environment monitoring module judges an environment risk through a humidity sensor; the electrostatic discharge module monitors the voltage to ground of the interface through an electrostatic sensor, and triggers release when the voltage exceeds a safety threshold value; a hard disk interface terminal is provided with a conductive sliding rod which is grounded in a pilot mode, and it is ensured that static electricity is released before interface contact in the installation process. According to the invention, automatic and non-inductive electrostatic protection of the hard disk before installation and starting is realized, and the safety of the hard disk in a dry high-risk environment is improved.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of hard disk static electricity release, in particular to a hard disk drive with built-in static electricity release device. BACKGROUND

[0002] Hard disk drives and solid state drives are sensitive to electrostatic discharge. During operation, an operator or equipment with static electricity may introduce thousands of volts of static electricity into the hard disk drive, which is likely to break the sensitive circuit of the disk controller or storage particles, resulting in data loss or permanent damage to the hardware.

[0003] Traditional static electricity protection measures mainly rely on manual methods such as operators wearing anti-static wristbands and touching grounded metal, but in frequent or emergency operations, it is easy to overlook or not perform standard, which has a large safety hazard. In addition, the existing hard disk design lacks built-in, automated static electricity monitoring and release mechanism, which cannot effectively eliminate the threat of static electricity before the hard disk is powered on.

[0004] Therefore, it is necessary for the prior art to propose a hard disk drive integrated in the hard disk, which can monitor the environmental humidity and static electricity accumulation, and complete the static electricity release before power-on, so as to improve the reliability and service life of the hard disk. SUMMARY

[0005] In summary, the present application proposes a hard disk drive with built-in static electricity release device.

[0006] The technical scheme of the present application is implemented as follows: A hard disk drive with built-in static electricity release device, characterized in that it comprises: A power management module for connecting power from the standby voltage of the computer power supply; A control execution module for controlling static electricity release; An environmental monitoring module comprising a humidity sensor for triggering a high alert state when the humidity is below a preset threshold; A static electricity release module comprising a static electricity sensor and a static electricity releaser for monitoring and releasing static electricity; A hard disk module comprising a hard disk body and a hard disk interface terminal, The static electricity sensor is connected to the hard disk interface terminal and the shell ground terminal for monitoring the potential difference between the interface circuit and the ground, The input end of the control execution module is connected to the static electricity sensor and the environmental monitoring module, and the output end is connected to the static electricity releaser, The static electricity releaser contains a bleeder circuit controlled by the control execution module for discharging static electricity to the ground wire, The control execution module enters sleep mode when the humidity is higher than the threshold, and activates the static electricity release module when the humidity is lower than the threshold, and enters monitoring mode.

[0007] Preferably, the hard disk interface terminal includes a power supply interface, a hard disk interface, and a latch. The hard disk interface has receiving cavities on both sides, and a conductive slide bar and a reset spring are provided in the receiving cavity.

[0008] Preferably, the conductive slider contacts the motherboard interface before the hard drive interface during hard drive installation, forming an electrical circuit with the pilot grounding contact pin.

[0009] Preferably, the electrostatic discharger includes a voltage divider composed of a high-resistance resistor R1 and a resistor R2, and the control execution module integrates an MCU microcontroller, which consists of MCU control pins and an MCU ADC module.

[0010] Preferably, the electrostatic sensor periodically collects the voltage V across resistor R2. adc It also calculates the initial electrostatic voltage to determine whether a release is triggered. The voltage V detected by the electrostatic sensor 401 esd The calculation formula is: Where R1 and R2 are the resistance values ​​of resistors R1 and R2.

[0011] Preferably, the MCU control pin outputs a high-level signal, which is input to the N-MOSFET protection circuit through the gate resistor to turn it on. The conducting N-MOSFET protection circuit and resistor R2 are connected to ground, forming a loop.

[0012] Preferably, the standard resistance value selected for resistor R2 is calculated using the following formula: In Formula 2, I p-max Indicates the maximum instantaneous current that may occur at the start of discharge; V esd-i This represents the electrostatic voltage measured at a specific instant before the discharge begins. The derivation in Formula 2 estimates the maximum possible electrostatic voltage V. esd-max Here, the maximum instantaneous current that may occur at the start of discharge is defined, and the safe current threshold I is set. s Calculate the minimum required resistance: R2 min =V esd-max / I s .

[0013] Preferably, the MCU control pin continuously outputs a high-level signal, then the N-MOSFET protection circuit is turned off, and the circuit returns to the monitoring state.

[0014] Preferably, the release time is estimated. Calculate the discharge state time constant: ,in, This represents the discharge time constant, and C represents the total parasitic capacitance of the hard drive interface pins to ground. The discharge process involves the voltage changing from its initial value V. I decay to target value V F The required time T is estimated using the following formula: Formula 3.1 is derived from Formula 3: In Formula 3.1, T represents the estimated release time; V I This represents the voltage at which the discharge begins, which is V in Formula 2. esd-i V F This indicates the voltage at which the discharge stops.

[0015] Preferably, a TVS diode is connected in parallel to the input terminal of the MCU ADC module as a clamping protection.

[0016] A hard disk drive with a built-in electrostatic discharge device according to the present invention has the following advantages compared with the prior art: 1. By making contact with the grounding pin before the hard drive interface, a pilot grounding circuit is formed to ensure that static electricity is released before power is applied, thus avoiding the risk of electrostatic discharge.

[0017] 2. Automatically detects and releases static electricity before hard drive installation or startup, completely avoiding human error and significantly improving hard drive safety in dry or high-static-risk environments.

[0018] 3. An integrated humidity sensor intelligently determines the electrostatic risk level based on ambient humidity, activating the electrostatic discharge function only in dry, high-risk environments to reduce power consumption. Attached Figure Description

[0019] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the hard disk drive structure of the present invention; Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the hard disk drive structure of the present invention; Figure 3 for Figure 2 Partial structural diagram; Figure 4 This is a logical block diagram of the hard disk drive of the present invention; Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the electrostatic discharge device of the present invention.

[0020] The reference signs are as follows: power management module 10, control execution module 20, environment monitoring module 30, electrostatic discharge module 40, electrostatic sensor 401, electrostatic discharger 402, hard disk module 50, hard disk body 501, hard disk interface terminal 502, power supply interface 502-1, hard disk interface 502-2, buckle 502-3, accommodating cavity 502-4, conductive slide bar 502-5. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0021] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the drawings in the embodiments of the present application.

[0022] Hard disk drives and solid state drives are sensitive to electrostatic discharge. An operator with static electricity or the hard disk itself can bring thousands of volts of static electricity into the system, which can instantaneously break the sensitive circuit of the disk controller or the storage grain, resulting in data loss or permanent damage to the hardware.

[0023] Embodiment one In one embodiment, referring to Figure 1 The embodiment proposes a hard disk drive with a built-in electrostatic discharge device, which includes a power management module 10, a control execution module 20, an environment monitoring module 30, an electrostatic discharge module 40, and a hard disk module 50.

[0024] The power management module 10 accesses 5V power from the standby voltage of the computer power supply, ensures that the computer is in the shutdown state, and as long as the computer power supply is in the on state, the hard disk drive can obtain working power, so that the electrostatic discharge work can be completed before the host starts.

[0025] The electrostatic discharge module 40 includes an electrostatic sensor 401 and an electrostatic discharger 402. The input end of the control execution module 20 is connected to the electrostatic sensor 401 and the environment detection module 30, and the output end is connected to the electrostatic discharger 402.

[0026] The environment detection module 30 integrates a humidity sensor for detecting the humidity of the air inside or around the device. When the humidity is lower than the preset threshold, it is identified as a high-risk dry environment and enters a high alert state.

[0027] The hard disk module 50 includes a hard disk body 501 and a hard disk interface terminal 502. The electrostatic sensor 401 is connected to the hard disk interface terminal and the shell ground terminal, for monitoring the potential difference between the hard disk interface circuit and the ground. The potential difference directly reflects the degree of static electricity accumulation. When it exceeds the safety threshold, a signal is transmitted to the electrostatic discharger 402 for discharge.

[0028] The static electricity discharger 402 comprises a discharge circuit controlled by the control execution module 20. The discharge circuit is usually composed of one or more controlled high resistance discharge resistors and switching elements.

[0029] Specifically, when the computer power supply is in the on state, the power management module 10 accesses the 5V power supply from the standby voltage of the computer power supply to start working. The control execution module 20 continuously or intermittently reads the humidity data collected by the environmental detection module 30.

[0030] If the collected humidity data is higher than the preset threshold, the low-power sleep mode is entered to save energy.

[0031] When the collected humidity data is lower than the preset threshold, in a dry environment, or when the static electricity sensor 401 detects that the interface circuit voltage to ground exceeds the safety threshold, the control execution module 20 is controlled to close the switch in the static electricity discharger 402, and the static electricity on the interface circuit is discharged to the ground through the high resistance discharge resistor, which avoids generating a large instantaneous current and ensures that the discharge process is smooth and controllable.

[0032] When the static electricity sensor 401 detects that the interface circuit voltage to ground is lower than the safety threshold, it is considered that the static electricity has been effectively discharged. The control execution module 20 is disconnected from the switch in the static electricity discharger 402 to prevent affecting the normal data transmission of the hard disk.

[0033] In one embodiment, the hard disk mainly relies on the operator wearing an anti-static bracelet, touching a grounded metal, and other methods to eliminate static electricity generated during installation during hot plug operation. However, in frequent and urgent work, it is easy to omit or not perform standard, leaving a huge safety hazard.

[0034] Therefore, further referring to Figures 2 to 3 The hard disk interface terminal 502 comprises a power supply interface 502-1, a hard disk interface 502-2, and a buckle 502-3. The power supply interface 502-1 is connected to the computer power supply, the hard disk interface 502-2 is used to connect to the mainboard, and is used to write or read data into the hard disk.

[0035] The buckle 502-3 is used to link the hard disk interface terminal 502 with the hard disk body 501. The two sides of the hard disk interface 502-2 are also provided with accommodating cavities 502-4, and conductive sliding rods 502-5 are arranged in the accommodating cavities 502-4. The rear of the conductive sliding rod 502-5 is provided with a spring (not shown in the figure) for resetting the conductive sliding rod 502-5, so that the conductive sliding rod 502-5 can move and compress along the axial direction.

[0036] Specifically, when the hard disk is pushed into the slot of the computer or storage device, before the hard disk reaches the final locking position and the hard disk interface 502-2 on the hard disk is not in contact with the mainboard interface, a conductive slide rod 502-5 is arranged in the accommodating cavity 502-4, which will first make physical contact with the pilot ground contact pin installed at the innermost part of the slot, and form an electrical circuit connection with the hard disk shell. At this time, The static electricity accumulated on the hard disk body 501 or the PCB inside the hard disk can be conducted to the conductive slide rod 502-5. The conductive slide rod 502-5 forms an electrical circuit connection with the hard disk shell through a flexible conductor with low impedance, and finally conducts to the ground, eliminating most of the concentrated static electricity. Through the automatic mechanical structure, the dependence on manual operation is completely eliminated, and it is further ensured that the discharge action is absolutely completed before power-on.

[0037] Further, as the hard disk is further pushed in, the conductive slide rod 502-5 always remains in contact, and the continuous contact between the conductive slide rod 502-5 and the hard disk shell forms a continuous grounding connection. It serves as an additional grounding protection during the running period of the hard disk, preventing the accumulation of static electricity due to friction or other reasons during operation.

[0038] After the hard disk is installed, due to the influence of the environment where the computer or storage device is located, or the accumulation of static electricity in the hard disk itself, at the moment of starting, the hard disk circuit starts to be powered on, and at this time, if the accumulated static electricity cannot be discharged in time, it is easy to form a pulse on the power supply and signal line, causing damage to the hard disk.

[0039] Embodiment Two In this embodiment, further disclosure is made to the above problem, and a specific technical solution is proposed.

[0040] Referring to Figures 2 to 4 In one embodiment, the relative humidity of the environment where the hard disk is located is detected as a prerequisite for judging the risk of static electricity.

[0041] The humidity sensor adopts a patch type digital humidity sensor, which is connected with the control execution module 20 through an I2C or SPI interface. The sensor model can be selected from the Sensirion SHT30 series or TI HDC2010.

[0042] When the relative humidity of the environment meets H m ≤ H th , it is determined that it is a dry high-risk environment. Wherein, H m is the current humidity value measured by the sensor in real time; H th represents the humidity preset threshold; wherein, H th is usually based on the definition of dry environment static electricity risk level in IEC 60721-3-3 and other standards.

[0043] The electrostatic sensor 401 detects the electrostatic potential difference between the hard disk power pin and ground (GND). The detected V... esd Satisfy | V esd |≥|V th When |, it is determined that there is static electricity that needs to be released. Where V th This indicates the high-voltage safety threshold, typically set to ±200V. The absolute value is used because static electricity can be either positive or negative charge accumulation.

[0044] The control execution module 20 integrates an MCU microcontroller, which can be either STMicroelectronics' STM32L0 series or NXP's KL series. After initialization, the control execution module 20 enters an intermittent working mode, waking up every few seconds or tens of seconds, essentially in sleep mode. It reads the humidity value. If the humidity is higher than a preset threshold, it returns to sleep mode; if it is lower than the preset threshold, it activates the electro-release module 40 for continuous monitoring, entering monitoring mode. It continuously monitors V. esd When V esd Exceeding the high voltage safety threshold V th The electrostatic discharge device 402 is controlled to discharge, and V is continuously monitored. esd , and so on.

[0045] Specifically, refer to Figure 5 As shown, since the electrostatic voltage can reach several kilovolts, a voltage divider is required. The electrostatic discharger 402 uses two high-precision, high-voltage resistors, R1 and R2, to form a voltage divider. Resistor R1 is connected to the pin under test. Resistor R2 is connected to ground, for .

[0046] The control execution module 20 integrates an MCU microcontroller, which consists of MCU control pins and an MCU ADC module, used to periodically sample the voltage V across resistor R2. adc It determines whether to trigger the release and when to stop the release.

[0047] Specifically, the voltage V detected by the electrostatic sensor 401 esd The calculation formula is: In Formula 1, R1 and R2 are the resistance values ​​of resistors R1 and R2.

[0048] In this embodiment, when in the monitoring state, a high voltage signal is input from the interface pin, which first passes through a very high resistance resistor R1, where the huge resistance of resistor R1 limits the input current to microamperes or even nanamperes, ensuring the safety of the subsequent circuit. Resistor R1 and subsequent resistor R2 form a voltage divider together. Since the resistance of resistor R1 is much greater than the impedance of resistor R2, most of the voltage is dropped across R1, thereby scaling down the high voltage to a range that can be safely read by the control execution module 20.

[0049] The scaled-down voltage is input to the MCU ADC module for analog-to-digital conversion. The original voltage is then calculated by reverse calculation to determine whether a release trigger is needed. Original voltage ≈ V adc * (R1 / R adc ), where R adc is the internal resistance of the MCU ADC module.

[0050] The current path in this state is: interface pin - resistor R1 - MCU ADC module - GND.

[0051] Further, a TVS diode is connected in parallel to the input of the MCU ADC module as a clamping protection. If the voltage V adc exceeds the working voltage of the MCU ADC module, which is generally 3.6V, due to an accident such as static electricity or transient high voltage, the TVS diode will quickly conduct and discharge the excess current to ground, thereby clamping the voltage V adc within a safe range to protect the MCU ADC module from damage.

[0052] In this embodiment, when the need to trigger a release is detected, the MCU control pin outputs a high-level signal, which is generally 3.3V or 5V. This high-level signal is input to the N-MOSFET protection circuit through gate resistor R g , causing it to conduct. The gate resistor R g is used to suppress oscillation in the gate circuit and limit the instantaneous surge current when the switch is turned on.

[0053] After the N-MOSFET protection circuit is turned on, a path is formed between its drain (Drain) and source (Source). The charge on the interface pin through resistor R1 will pass through the conducting N-MOSFET protection circuit and resistor R2 to ground, forming a loop and being quickly discharged.

[0054] It should be noted that the N-MOSFET protection circuit is a common auxiliary circuit in the field, and its purpose is to prevent various failures and damage that may occur when the working conditions exceed the safe range. The most common is to parallel an RC snubber circuit between the drain and the source, which will not be described in detail here.

[0055] The resistance R2 has large resistance and power, which ensures the safety and controllability of the discharging process. The resistance R2 is usually a 1W large power resistance of 1-10MΩ. It limits the maximum value of the discharging current, prevents damage or spark due to too large discharging current, and consumes the energy of the electric charge in the form of heat. A large power of at least 1W or more is required to ensure that it can withstand the heat during the discharging process.

[0056] Further, how to select the standard resistance of the resistance R2 is calculated as follows: In formula 2, I p-max represents the maximum instantaneous current that may occur at the beginning of the discharge, and the unit is A; V esd-i represents the static voltage measured at a certain moment before the discharge starts, and the unit is V.

[0057] According to formula 2, the maximum static voltage V esd-max that may occur is estimated. Based on the FIEC 61000-4-2 standard level, for example, 5000V. The maximum instantaneous current that may occur at the beginning of the discharge is defined, and the safety current threshold I s is set to 1mA, which is lower than the damage current value of the semiconductor. The minimum resistance required is calculated: R2 min =V esd-max / I s .

[0058] For example, R2 min =5000V / 0.001A=5MΩ, that is, the minimum standard resistance of the resistance R2 is selected to be 5MΩ, so as to ensure that even in the worst case, the discharging current can be limited within a safe range.

[0059] In this embodiment, the MCU control pin continuously outputs a high level signal for a period of time, and then the N-MOSFET protection circuit is turned off, and the circuit returns to the monitoring state.

[0060] Specifically, the discharge time is estimated. First, the discharge state time constant is calculated: wherein, represents the discharge time constant, which determines the discharging speed. C represents the total parasitic capacitance of the hard disk interface pin to the ground, which is usually 10-100pF.

[0061] wherein, the discharge process is an exponential decay process, and the time T required for the voltage to decay from the initial value V I to the target value V F is estimated, and the calculation formula is as follows: According to formula 3, formula 3.1 is derived: In formula 3.1, T represents the estimated discharge time; V I represents the voltage at which the discharge starts, that is, V esd-i in formula 2; V F represents the voltage at which the discharge stops, that is, less than the high-voltage safety threshold V th .

[0062] For example: V I = 2000V; V F = 50V; R2 = 5MΩ, C = 50 pF, and the calculation is as follows: Formula 3.1 is calculated as follows: In this embodiment, the standard resistance value of the resistor R2 is selected according to formula 2, which forcibly limits the discharge current to below 1mA, thereby ensuring that even during the discharge process, the weak current will not cause any stress or damage to the hard disk's master control chip, storage particles or interface circuit. Compared with the traditional direct discharge or only relying on the clamping of the TVS tube, the safety is improved.

[0063] Further, the electrostatic discharge 402 is not discharged for a fixed time blindly, but the discharge time is estimated, the voltage drop trajectory is tracked in real time, and the discharge is terminated immediately when the voltage reaches the safety threshold. Ensure that there is no risk of insufficient release, and there is no excessive release, and waste of time.

[0064] The entire release process is controlled to be completed within 1ms, and the entire monitoring, judgment and release process is completed completely in the preparation stage of the hard disk drive startup, and there is no perceptible negative impact on the subsequent normal startup and read-write performance, achieving a non-sensible electrostatic protection.

[0065] The above only describes the preferred embodiments of the present application and does not limit the present application. Any modification, equivalent replacement and improvement within the spirit and principle of the present application shall be included in the protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A hard disk drive with a built-in electrostatic discharge device, characterized in that, include: The power management module (10) is used to connect to the power supply from the standby voltage of the computer power supply; Control execution module (20) is used to control electrostatic discharge; The environmental monitoring module (30) includes a humidity sensor for triggering a high alert state when the humidity is below a preset threshold. The electrostatic discharge module (40) includes an electrostatic sensor (401) and an electrostatic discharger (402) for monitoring and discharging static electricity; The hard disk module (50) includes a hard disk body (501) and a hard disk interface terminal (502). The electrostatic sensor (401) is connected to the hard disk interface terminal (502) and the housing ground terminal to monitor the potential difference between the interface circuit and ground. The input end of the control execution module (20) is connected to the electrostatic sensor (401) and the environmental monitoring module (30), and the output end is connected to the electrostatic discharger (402). The electrostatic discharger (402) includes a discharge circuit controlled by the control execution module (20) for discharging static charge to ground. The control execution module (20) enters a sleep mode when the humidity is higher than the threshold, and activates the electrostatic release module (40) when the humidity is lower than the threshold, thus entering a monitoring mode.

2. The hard disk drive with a built-in electrostatic discharge device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The hard disk interface terminal (502) includes a power supply interface (502-1), a hard disk interface (502-2), and a latch (502-3). The hard disk interface (502-2) has receiving cavities (502-4) on both sides, and a conductive slider (502-5) and a reset spring are provided in the receiving cavity.

3. A hard disk drive with a built-in electrostatic discharge device according to claim 2, characterized in that, The conductive slider (502-5) contacts the motherboard interface before the hard drive interface (502-2) during hard drive installation, forming an electrical circuit with the pilot grounding contact pin.

4. A hard disk drive with a built-in electrostatic discharge device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The electrostatic discharger (402) includes a voltage divider composed of a high-resistance resistor R1 and a resistor R2. The control execution module (20) integrates an MCU microcontroller and consists of MCU control pins and an MCU ADC module.

5. A hard disk drive with a built-in electrostatic discharge device according to claim 4, characterized in that, The electrostatic sensor (401) periodically collects the voltage V across resistor R2. adc It also calculates the initial electrostatic voltage to determine whether a release is triggered. The voltage V detected by the electrostatic sensor (401) esd The calculation formula is: Where R1 and R2 are the resistance values ​​of resistors R1 and R2.

6. A hard disk drive with a built-in electrostatic discharge device according to claim 4, characterized in that, The MCU control pin outputs a high-level signal, which is input to the N-MOSFET protection circuit through the gate resistor to turn it on. The conducting N-MOSFET protection circuit and resistor R2 are connected to ground, forming a loop.

7. A hard disk drive with a built-in electrostatic discharge device according to claim 6, characterized in that, The standard resistance value selected for resistor R2 is calculated using the following formula: In Formula 2, I p-max Indicates the maximum instantaneous current that may occur at the start of discharge; V esd-i This represents the electrostatic voltage measured at a specific instant before the discharge begins. The derivation in Formula 2 estimates the maximum possible electrostatic voltage V. esd-max Here, the maximum instantaneous current that may occur at the start of discharge is defined, and the safe current threshold I is set. s Calculate the minimum required resistance: R2 min =V esd-max / I s .

8. A hard disk drive with a built-in electrostatic discharge device according to claim 4, characterized in that, The MCU control pin continuously outputs a high-level signal, then the N-MOSFET protection circuit is turned off, and the circuit returns to the monitoring state.

9. A hard disk drive with a built-in electrostatic discharge device according to claim 8, characterized in that, Estimated release time, Calculate the discharge state time constant: ,in, This represents the discharge time constant, and C represents the total parasitic capacitance of the hard drive interface pins to ground. The discharge process involves the voltage changing from its initial value V. I decay to target value V F The required time T is estimated using the following formula: Formula 3.1 is derived from Formula 3: In Formula 3.1, T represents the estimated release time; V I This represents the voltage at which the discharge begins, which is V in Formula 2. esd-i V F This indicates the voltage at which the discharge stops.

10. A hard disk drive with a built-in electrostatic discharge device according to claim 1, characterized in that, A TVS diode is connected in parallel to the input terminal of the MCUADC module as a clamping protection.

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