Hot-pluggable driver support

Abstract

A hot pluggable driver holder is removably mounted in an information processing device. The driver support has a plurality of brackets to carry a plurality of media drivers. The driver holder and the media driver carried thereon may be removably inserted together as a unit into a driver holder receptacle of an information processing device, and the media driver is all electrically connected to the information processing device when the driver holder reaches a mounted position in the receptacle. The driver holder and the media driver carried thereon may also be removed from the driver holder socket as a unit, resulting in the media driver being all disconnected from the information handling device. The driver bracket may include an inserter / ejector to convert an actuation force supplied thereto into an insertion force and an ejection force that force the driver bracket to translate into or out of a mounted position relative to the chassis according to an actuation direction.

Description

Background Art

[0001] Information processing devices such as computers generally include various components, particularly including media drives, such as hard disk drives (HDDs) or solid-state drives (SSDs). In some computers, media drives are configured as pluggable modules, which are designed to be installed and removed from the computer without disassembling the computer. In some cases, the drive is removable / installable when the computer is still powered on, which is also referred to as hot-swappable. For example, a computer may include a chassis, and the chassis may include a drive bracket having a plurality of bays that are accessible from the outside of the chassis and each bay is configured to removably receive the media drive. A backplane may be provided at the rear of the drive bracket, wherein a blind electrical connector is provided on the backplane and aligned with the bracket, so that when the drive is inserted into the bracket, the electrical connector of the drive automatically engages with the backplane connector. The backplane is also electrically connected to other components of the system, such as the CPU, and the drive thus installed is electrically connected to these other components via the backplane. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0002] Alone or with Figure 1 The present disclosure can be understood from the following detailed description. These drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the present disclosure, and are incorporated into and constitute a part of this specification. The drawings illustrate one or more examples of the present teachings and together with the description explain certain principles and operations. In the drawings:

[0003] Figure 1 is a block diagram schematically illustrating an information handling system including an information handling device and a hot-swappable drive chassis.

[0004] Figure 2 is a perspective view of another exemplary information processing system including an information processing device and a hot-swappable drive cage in a state where the hot-swappable drive cage is installed in the information processing device.

[0005] Figure 3 yes Figure 2 A front view of an information handling system with a hot-swappable drive bracket installed in the information handling device.

[0006] Figure 4 yes Figure 2 A perspective view of an information processing system with a hot-swappable drive bracket removed from the information processing device.

[0007] Figure 5 yes Figure 2 A front perspective view of a hot-swappable drive bracket of an information handling system with the drive bracket removed.

[0008] Figure 6 yes Figure 2 A rear perspective view of an information processing system with a hot-swappable drive bracket removed.

[0009] Figure 7 yes Figure 2 A partial perspective view of an information handling device of an information handling system of the present invention is shown, showing a drive bracket receptacle of the information handling device with a hot-swappable drive bracket removed.

[0010] Figure 8 yes Figure 2 A partial perspective view of an information handling system of FIG. 1 is shown showing a bracket inserter / ejector mechanism with a hot-swappable drive bracket installed.

[0011] Fig. 9 yes Figure 2 A partial front view of an information handling system of FIG. 1 is shown showing a cage inserter / ejector mechanism with a hot-swappable drive cage installed.

[0012] Fig.10 yes Figure 2 A partial perspective view of a hot-swappable drive bracket of a system showing a bracket inserter / ejector mechanism in a removed state of the hot-swappable drive bracket.

[0013] Fig.11 yes Figure 2 A partial plan view of a hot-swappable drive bracket of a system showing a bracket inserter / ejector mechanism in a removed state of the hot-swappable drive bracket.

[0014] Fig.12 yes Figure 2 A partial perspective view of a hot-swappable drive bracket of a system of the present invention is shown, illustrating a second exemplary bracket inserter / ejector mechanism in a removed state of the hot-swappable drive bracket.

[0015] Fig.13 yes Figure 2 A partial plan view of a hot-swappable drive bracket of a system of the invention is shown, illustrating a second exemplary bracket inserter / ejector mechanism in a removed state of the hot-swappable drive bracket.

[0016] Fig.14 yes Figure 2 A partial perspective view of an information handling system of FIG. 1 is shown, showing a locking mechanism located on a top side of a hot-swappable drive bracket in an installed state of the hot-swappable drive bracket.

[0017] Fig.15 yes Figure 2 A partial plan view of an information handling system showing a locking mechanism in an installed state of a hot-swappable drive bracket.

[0018] Fig.16 yes Figure 2 A cross-section of an information handling system showing a locking mechanism in an installed state of a hot-swappable drive bracket, wherein the Fig.15 The cross section is taken along the plane indicated by line 16-16.

[0019] Fig.17 yes Figure 2 sectional view of an information handling system showing another locking mechanism on the bottom side of the hot-swappable drive bracket in the installed state of the hot-swappable drive bracket, wherein the locking mechanism is located along the bottom side of the hot-swappable drive bracket. Figure 3 The section is taken along the plane indicated by line 17-17. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0020] In many scenarios where information processing equipment is commonly used, such as in the daily operation of a data center or an enterprise's information technology facility, the removal and / or installation of removable media drives is a common occurrence and relatively easy to perform. Removing a single drive typically involves pulling an ejector rod that is part of the drive, which forces the drive to partially move out of the bay and disconnect from the electrical connector of the backplane, whereby the technician is free to pull the drive out of the bay the rest of the way. For installation, the drive is aligned with the bay and inserted into the bay until the electrical connector begins to engage, whereby the rod on the drive can be pushed in to force the drive into a fully installed position in which the connector is fully engaged. Typically, the environment in which installation / removal occurs (e.g., in a data center) is clean, stable, and low-stress, and installation / removal is typically planned in advance and scheduled at a convenient time. These favorable conditions enable technicians to take the necessary caution to avoid damage to the components being handled and to complete installation and removal with relative ease.

[0021] However, in some applications, a computer (e.g., a server) having multiple pluggable media drives may need to replace its media drive under more unfavorable conditions. For example, such unfavorable conditions may occur in certain military, industrial, or aerospace applications. These unfavorable conditions may include unfavorable environmental conditions, such as physically unstable environments (e.g., in a moving vehicle), potentially unsafe environments (e.g., in a war zone, a mine, etc.), and / or in other stressful environments. Unfavorable conditions may also include unfavorable time constraints, such as when an unscheduled time indicates a need for installation / removal and / or when installation / removal needs to be completed quickly.

[0022] For example, a computer may be used in a vehicle (e.g., a military vehicle, an industrial vehicle, an aerospace vehicle, etc.), and the vehicle is deployed on-site to perform a mission, wherein the computer records information about the mission (e.g., video recording, sensor readings, etc.). In this scenario, if the media drive is full while the mission is still ongoing, the mission personnel may need to replace the full media drive with a new drive to allow the mission to continue. However, the vehicle may be moving, which may make installation / removal more challenging. In addition, in some cases, pressure, time constraints and other adverse conditions may increase the possibility of human error when handling components, such as dropping a single drive or forcing a misaligned drive into a bracket, which may potentially damage its connector. Another error that is more likely to occur in a stressful and time-limited scenario is to install a new drive in an incorrect bracket position, which may be a problem when using a technology that requires a specific position arrangement of the drive (e.g., redundant array of independent disks (RAID)).

[0023] Furthermore, even if the removal / installation process is free of any human error, it may take a relatively long time to complete the process because each drive must be removed and installed one at a time. While the removal and installation of a single drive may be relatively quick, the total time required for the entire replacement process may add up when there are many drives (e.g., it is not uncommon to have two dozen or more drives). Furthermore, the time required for the replacement process includes not only the time for each individual drive removal event or drive insertion event, but also the time between such events, where the removed individual drives must be stowed away one at a time in a safe location with due care to avoid damage, and the individual new drives must be taken out one at a time from the container in which they are stored. Thus, the long time it takes to replace a drive may delay the progress of the task or be otherwise undesirable.

[0024] A technical solution to the above problem includes an information processing system in which a drive bracket holding multiple media drives can be removed from and installed in an information processing device (e.g., a computer) at one time as a single unit. Specifically, the drive bracket can be inserted and removed in a hot-pluggable manner, and therefore the drive bracket can be referred to as a hot-pluggable drive bracket in this article. When the drive bracket is inserted into a drive bracket socket of an information processing device, all media drives carried in the drive bracket can be engaged with an electrical connector of a backplane of the information processing device at the same time. Conversely, when the drive bracket is removed from the drive bracket socket, all media drives carried by the drive bracket can be disengaged from the electrical connector of the backplane at the same time.

[0025] In an example disclosed herein, a hot-swappable drive bracket may include a series of progressive alignment features that are configured to sequentially engage portions of an information handling device when the drive bracket is inserted into a drive bracket socket, thereby gradually aligning the drive bracket to a desired installation position. A first level of alignment features may provide a rough positioning of the drive bracket within the drive bracket socket, and may include a large margin (play or tolerance) at its front engagement surface, so that a user does not have to go to great lengths to perfectly align the drive bracket before beginning insertion. Then, as the drive bracket continues to be further inserted into the drive bracket socket, subsequent levels of alignment features engage portions of the information handling device, with each level of alignment features providing progressively tighter constraints to ultimately bring the drive bracket into the installation position. In this way, the drive bracket may be aligned with sufficient accuracy to allow mating with a connector of a backplane, while also being relatively easy for the user to install.

[0026] In the examples disclosed herein, the hot-swappable drive bracket may include one or more injection / ejection mechanisms to assist a user in inserting a drive bracket into a drive bracket receptacle or removing a drive bracket from a drive bracket receptacle. Each injection / ejection mechanism includes a rod actuable by a user together with a gear assembly coupled to the rod, such that the actuation of the rod is converted into the rotation of a gear of the gear assembly. The gear is configured to engage with a rack (i.e., a linear gear) that is coupled to a chassis of an information processing device to form a rack-and-pinion of a certain type, such that the actuation of the rod causes the drive bracket to translate relative to the chassis. The injection / ejection mechanism is configured to generate a mechanical advantage to assist a user in overcoming the frictional resistance of the drive engaging or disengaging an electrical connector of a backplane. Since multiple drives are engaged with the backplane connector simultaneously when installing the drive bracket, the total insertion force required may be very large, and in some cases, too large for a user to comfortably apply without assistance. For example, an insertion force of approximately 300 lbs may be required in some devices having twenty-four drives. Similarly, a large ejection force is also required to disengage all drives from the backplane simultaneously. However, in examples disclosed herein, the mechanical advantage provided by the injection / ejection mechanism allows a sufficiently high insertion force to be applied between the chassis and the drive cage while the user only provides a modest force to the rod (e.g., in some examples, approximately 12 lbs).

[0027] In some examples, the gear assembly of the injection / ejection mechanism may include multiple pinions that are configured to be actuated simultaneously by the same rod. Providing multiple pinions further increases the mechanical advantage of the mechanism (compared to the case where a single pinion is present). In some examples where the injection / ejection mechanism includes multiple pinions, the rack may include multiple stages arranged in a straight line (in a front-to-back direction). The first stage of the rack may be closest to the front of the chassis and may protrude into the socket a first distance, and the second stage of the rack may be positioned behind the first stage and may protrude a second distance, which is greater than the first distance. In such an example, the pinions may include a first gear closer to the front of the drive bracket and a second gear further back, wherein the two gears are slightly offset so that the first pinion can engage with the first stage of the rack and the second pinion can engage with the second stage of the rack. The staging of the rack allows the second pinion to move past the first stage during insertion into the drive bracket without the second pinion getting stuck on the first stage of the rack.

[0028] In some examples, multiple injection / ejection mechanisms are provided on the drive bracket. This can ensure that the very large insertion force that may be required is distributed over multiple contact points with the chassis of the information processing device. This can help reduce the risk of the drive bracket being deflected during insertion, which can cause misalignment and / or bonding. For example, in some embodiments, four injection / ejection mechanisms are provided, one near each of the four corners of the front portion of the drive bracket. In some examples, the rods of the two injection / ejection mechanisms on the left side of the drive bracket can be coupled together via a first handle, and the two injection / ejection mechanisms on the right side of the drive bracket can be coupled together via a second handle, so that the user can simultaneously actuate all four ejection mechanisms by grasping the two handles (e.g., one in each hand) and pushing them toward the drive bracket at the same time (for injection) or pulling them away from the drive bracket at the same time (for ejection). In some examples, the handles can also be used as carrying handles that allow the user to carry the drive bracket when removed from the information processing device.

[0029] The examples disclosed herein can provide many benefits and advantages, particularly relative to the other methods described above. For example, in a scenario where all the drives in a system need to be replaced, a hot-swappable drive bracket allows all the drives to be removed and replaced very quickly. For example, a user can remove all existing drives at once by simply removing the hot-swappable drive bracket, stow all the drive brackets at once by stowing the drive bracket, and then the user can install a full set of new drives at once by installing a new hot-swappable drive bracket that previously had the new drives (e.g., the new drives may have been pre-loaded before the mission began in anticipation of the need to replace the drives during the mission). This simple process may be much faster than replacing the same number of drives by removing the drives one by one, stowing the drives one by one, and then inserting the new drives one by one.

[0030] The ability to replace all drives with only one removal action and one insertion action not only reduces the amount of time required for the entire process, but also reduces the likelihood of human error occurring during the process. More specifically, each insertion and removal event may present an opportunity for human error, which may be magnified in a hostile environment. Therefore, the more insertions or removals that occur, the more likely human error is to occur. Thus, the overall chance of error occurring in a conventional system that requires multiple drive insertion and removal events (e.g., up to forty-eight such events in a system with twenty-four drives) may be higher than the example disclosed herein that requires only two such events (e.g., one removal and one insertion in a system with twenty-four drives).

[0031] Furthermore, inserting a single drive typically requires great care to properly align the drive with the bay (to avoid damaging the connector), and may also require some fine manual manipulation of the drive (e.g., to manipulate a relatively small ejector mechanism). However, such careful precision and fine manual manipulation can sometimes be difficult to achieve when in a hostile environment (e.g., when performing a potentially dangerous task in the field) because pressure or other conditions may distract the user and diminish fine motor control. Furthermore, task equipment (e.g., thick gloves) may also make fine manual manipulation difficult. In contrast, in the examples disclosed herein, due to the progressive alignment features of the drive mount, the user may be able to be less careful when initially aligning the drive mount with the socket. Furthermore, the large handle of the inserter / ejector mechanism can be more easily actuated by a user in a stressful environment because the movement can involve simple gross movements rather than fine movements.

[0032] Furthermore, in the examples disclosed herein, the chances of an incorrect drive sequence occurring (in those situations where the sequence of the drives is important) can be greatly reduced. This is because in the examples disclosed herein, the drives can be pre-loaded into the replacement drive rack at a time and place that is less stressful, less time-constrained, and more conducive to careful work (such as before a mission begins), and in such an environment, drive sequence errors are less likely to occur than under stressful conditions such as in the field.

[0033] Turning now to the drawings, various devices, systems, and methods according to aspects of the present disclosure will be described.

[0034] Figure 1 is a block diagram schematically illustrating the information processing system 5. It should be understood that Figure 1 The specific shapes, sizes, or other structural details are not intended to be accurate or to scale, and implementations of the information handling system 5 may have a different number and arrangement of components than those shown, and may also include other components not shown. Figure 1 In the figures, some physical connections or joins are indicated by dashed lines, while electrical connections are indicated by dotted lines.

[0035] like Figure 1 As shown, the information processing system 5 includes an information processing device 10 and a hot-swappable drive bracket 50. The information processing device 10 can be a computer (e.g., a server), a network device, or any other type of information processing device. The hot-swappable drive bracket 50 is configured to carry a plurality of media drives 65 (e.g., HDD, SDD, etc.). Unlike conventional drive brackets that are fixedly attached to the chassis of their corresponding information processing devices and / or form an integral part of the chassis, the hot-swappable drive bracket 50 is a separate part from the information processing device 10 and can be removably installed in the information processing device 10 in a hot-swappable manner. More specifically, in some examples, the drive bracket 50 together with the media drive 65 carried by the drive bracket 50 can be installed in the device 10 as a unit, and similarly, the drive bracket 50 together with the media drive 65 can be removed from the device 10 as a unit.

[0036] like Figure 1As shown, the information processing device 10 includes a chassis 11, which includes one or more walls, panels and / or other structural members that support and house the components of the device 10. The chassis 11 may include a drive bracket socket 18 located in a front panel or a rear panel of the chassis 11, and the drive bracket socket is configured to removably receive a drive bracket 50. The drive bracket socket 18 is defined by the walls and / or other structural members of the chassis 11. The socket 18 is partially enclosed except that the front of the socket 18 is open to allow the drive bracket 50 to be inserted and the back is at least partially open to the backplane 20 located at the rear thereof. The backplane 20 has blind mate electrical connectors 24, which are mounted on the backplane and are positioned to engage with complementary connectors of the media drive 65 when the drive bracket 50 is inserted into the drive bracket socket 18. The number and arrangement of the blind mate connectors 24 can correspond to the number and arrangement of the drive brackets 60 (discussed below) in the drive bracket 50. The connector 24 of the backplane 20 is electrically connected to the information processing circuit 25 of the device 10 , such as a CPU, and thus when the drive bracket 50 is mounted, the media drive 65 is connected to the information processing circuit 25 via the connector 24 .

[0037] The drive bracket 50 includes a structural frame formed by a plurality of outer walls, which encloses and defines a plurality of internal drive bays 60. Each drive bay 60 is configured to removably receive, hold and support a media drive 65. In some examples, the drive bracket 50 frame may include a top, a bottom and two side walls. An opening may be provided in the front of the drive bracket 50 to allow the media drive 65 to be inserted into and removed from the drive bracket 50 in the same manner as the media drive 65 may be inserted into or removed from an existing fixed drive bracket. In addition, the rear of the drive bracket 50 is at least partially open to expose the electrical connector at the rear of the media drive 65. The bracket 60 is configured to hold the media drive 65 in a predetermined position so that when the drive bracket 50 is installed in the socket 18, the electrical connectors of the media drives will be properly aligned with the electrical connectors 24 of the backplane 20 and thus be able to engage with the electrical connectors.

[0038] like Figure 1As shown, in some examples, the hot-swappable drive bracket 50 includes one or more alignment features 80 configured to engage with complementary alignment features 40 of the information handling device 10 to guide the drive bracket 50 into the socket 18 and align the drive bracket 50 with a predetermined installation position. The alignment feature 80 may include one or more of the following: an inclined lead-in surface, a pin socket, a pin, a chamfered edge, a groove / slot, a tab, etc. The alignment feature 40 may include a structure complementary to the alignment feature 80. In some examples, the alignment feature 80 includes a series or progressive alignment features 80 that are configured to sequentially engage with various alignment features 40 when the drive bracket 50 is inserted into the drive bracket socket 18, thereby gradually aligning the drive bracket 50 to the desired installation position. The first level alignment features 80 can provide a rough positioning of the drive bracket 50 within the drive bracket socket 18, and can include a large margin (play or tolerance) at its front engagement surface, so that the user does not have to make an effort to perfectly align the drive bracket 50 before starting to insert. Then, as the drive bracket 50 continues to be further inserted into the drive bracket socket 18, subsequent levels of alignment features 80 engage portions of the information handling device 10, with each level of alignment features 80 providing a progressively tighter constraint to ultimately bring the drive bracket 50 into the installed position. In this way, the drive bracket 50 can be aligned with sufficient accuracy to allow mating with the connector 24 of the backplane 20, while also being relatively easy for the user to install. For example, in one embodiment, the first level of alignment features 80 includes an inclined lead-in surface, and the complementary alignment features 80 include a wall in the socket 18, the inclined lead-in surface engages with the wall and slides along the wall; the second level of alignment features 80 includes a pin socket (e.g., having a chamfered entry channel) and the complementary alignment features 40 include a pin to be received in the pin socket; and the third level of alignment features 80 includes a connector of the drive 65 (e.g., which may have a chamfered leading edge), and the complementary alignment features 40 include a socket of the connector 24 (e.g., which may also have a chamfered edge), which are configured to receive the connector of the drive 65.

[0039] like Figure 1As shown, in some examples, the drive bracket 50 also includes one or more injection / ejection mechanisms 70 (also referred to as inserters / ejectors 70) to assist a user in inserting the drive bracket 50 into the drive bracket socket 18 or removing the drive bracket 50 from the drive bracket socket. Each inserter / ejector 70 is configured to engage with a complementary inserter / ejector engagement element 30 ("engagement element 30") anchored to the chassis 11. The engagement element 30 may be partially or completely disposed within the socket 18 so that when the drive bracket 50 is inserted into the socket 18, the engagement element may engage with the corresponding inserter / ejector 70. The inserter / ejector 70 is configured to be actuated by a user and, when actuated, generates a force that is applied to the chassis 11 via engagement between the inserter / ejector 70 and the engagement element 30. The force is configured to drive translational movement of the drive bracket 50 into and out of the socket. For example, when the driver bracket 50 is partially installed in the socket 18 (e.g., the inserter / ejector 70 is engaged with the engagement element 30, but the drivers 65 are not yet engaged with the connector 24), if the user first supplies an actuation force to move the inserter / ejector 70 in a first actuation direction, the inserter / ejector 70 converts the first actuation force into an injection force that pushes the driver bracket 50 further into the socket 18 until the driver bracket 50 reaches a fully installed position in which the drivers 65 are fully connected to the connector 24 (where the drivers 65 are all substantially connected to the connector 24 simultaneously). Conversely, when the driver bracket 50 is fully installed in the socket 18, if the user applies a second ejection force to move the inserter / ejector 70 in a second actuation direction, the inserter / ejector converts the second actuation force into an ejection force that pulls the driver bracket 50 out of the socket 18, thereby disconnecting all the drivers 65 from the connector 24 (substantially simultaneously). Additionally, the inserters / ejectors 70 are configured to create a mechanical advantage to assist a user in overcoming frictional resistance to engaging or disengaging the actuator 65 with the electrical connector 24 of the backplane 20. In some examples, the mechanical advantage provided by each inserter / ejector 70 is approximately 12:1, in other examples, approximately 10:1, and in other examples, approximately 7.5:1.

[0040] In some examples, multiple injection / ejection mechanisms 70 are provided on the drive bracket 50. This can ensure that the very large insertion force that may be required is distributed over multiple contact points with the chassis 11. This can help reduce the risk of the drive bracket 50 being deflected during insertion, which can cause misalignment and / or sticking. For example, in some embodiments, four injection / ejection mechanisms 70 are provided, one near each of the four corners of the front portion of the drive bracket 50. In some examples, the rods of the two injection / ejection mechanisms 70 on the left side of the drive bracket can be coupled together via a first handle, and the two injection / ejection mechanisms 70 on the right side of the drive bracket can be coupled together via a second handle, so that a user can simultaneously actuate all four ejection mechanisms by grasping the two handles (e.g., one in each hand) and pushing them toward the drive bracket at the same time (for injection) or pulling them away from the drive bracket at the same time (for ejection). In some examples, the handles can also be used as carrying handles that allow the user to carry the drive bracket 50 when removed from the information processing device 10.

[0041] In some examples, each inserter / ejector 70 includes a lever actuable by a user to transmit a force manually applied by the user to the chassis 11. In some examples, each inserter / ejector 70 also includes a mechanism for converting the rotational (pivoting) motion of the lever into the translational motion of the drive bracket 50, such as a cam, a rack and pinion, or any other rotation to linear force conversion mechanism. Specifically, in some examples, the inserter / ejector 70 includes a gear assembly coupled to the lever so that actuation of the lever is converted into rotation of a gear of the gear assembly, and the engagement element 30 includes a rack (linear gear) coupled to the chassis 11 and engaged with the gear so that rotation of the gear is converted into translation of the drive bracket 50 relative to the chassis 11.

[0042] Now go to Figures 2 to 16, another exemplary information handling system 105 will be described, which includes an exemplary information handling device 110 and an exemplary hot-swappable drive bracket 150. The information handling device 110 is an exemplary configuration of the information handling device 10, and the hot-swappable drive bracket 150 is an exemplary configuration of the hot-swappable drive bracket 50. Therefore, some components of the information handling device 110 correspond to components of the above-mentioned information handling device 10 (i.e., are the same, similar, and / or are exemplary configurations thereof), and some components of the hot-swappable drive bracket 150 correspond to components of the above-mentioned hot-swappable drive bracket 50 (i.e., are the same, similar, and / or are exemplary configurations thereof). Components of the information handling device 110 and the drive bracket 50 and components of the information handling device 10 and the drive bracket 50 that correspond to each other, respectively, are given reference numerals having the same last two digits, such as 70 and 170. The above description of the components of the information processing device 10 and the drive bracket 50 is respectively applicable to the corresponding components of the information processing device 110 and the drive bracket 150 (unless otherwise indicated or logically contradictory), and therefore repeated description of some aspects already described above is omitted below.

[0043] Figures 2 to 16Information processing devices 110 and / or drive brackets 50 at various angles and in various states are shown, and various aspects thereof can be seen in multiple figures. The following description will refer to the drawings when the drawings are related to the described aspects, rather than in strict numerical order. The description herein uses various direction / relationship terms, such as top, bottom, left, right, front, back, horizontal, vertical and other similar terms. These terms should be understood to refer to the object as shown in the figure, but do not necessarily limit the orientation of the object relative to some external reference system (such as the ground). For example, if the object is rotated 180 degrees relative to the ground, the side of the object as the "top" side as shown in the figure and described herein may appear to be the bottom of the object from the perspective of an external reference system based on the ground. In other words, in fact, the object can be moved, rotated and oriented in any desired manner in space, and the direction terms used in this article do not limit this. Upward or similar terms generally refer to the +z direction shown in the figure, and the top refers to the part of the object that is positioned farther than other parts of the object along the +z direction. Downward or similar terms generally refer to the -z direction shown in the figures, and the bottom refers to the portion of the object that is positioned farther along the -z direction than other portions of the object. Leftward or similar terms generally refer to the +x direction shown in the figures, and the left side refers to the side of the object that is positioned farther along the +x direction than other portions of the object. Rightward or similar terms generally refer to the -x direction shown in the figures, and the right side refers to the side of the object that is positioned farther along the -x direction than other portions of the object. Backward or similar terms generally refer to the +y direction shown in the figures, and the rear refers to the portion of the object that is positioned farther along the +y direction than other portions of the object. Forward or similar terms generally refer to the -y direction shown in the figures, and the front refers to the portion of the object that is positioned farther along the -y direction than other portions of the object.

[0044] In some cases where there are multiple instances of the same component, only one or a few instances of the component are labeled in the figure to avoid obscuring other features, e.g. Figures 2 to 16 In those cases where multiple instances are shown and / or described but only one is labeled, one of ordinary skill in the art will understand which elements in the figures correspond to the other (unlabeled) instances of the component in question based on the appearance of the elements in the figures, based on the context provided in the written description, and based on the basic knowledge of one of ordinary skill in the art.

[0045] like Figure 2 As shown, information handling system 105 includes information handling device 110 and hot-swappable drive bracket 150. Information handling device 110 may be a computer (eg, a server), a network device, or any other type of information handling device. Figures 2 to 6As shown, the hot-swappable drive bracket 150 is configured to carry a plurality of media drives 165 (e.g., HDD, SDD, etc.). The media drive 165 may include an electronics module portion 167 and a drive carrier portion 166, wherein the drive carrier portion 166 provides a frame for supporting the electronics module portion 167 and engagement features for engaging with the bracket 160, a latching feature (not labeled) including an ejector lever (not labeled), as is well known to those skilled in the art. In some examples, the media drive 165 may include a commercially available and / or industry standard form factor media drive.

[0046] like Figure 4 and Figure 5 As shown, unlike conventional drive brackets that are fixedly attached to and / or form an integral part of the chassis of their corresponding information handling devices, the hot-swappable drive bracket 150 is a separate part from the information handling device 110 and can be removably installed in the information handling device 110 in a hot-swappable manner. More specifically, in some examples, the drive bracket 150 together with the media drive 165 carried by the drive bracket 150 can be installed in the device 110 as a unit, and similarly, the drive bracket 150 together with the media drive 165 can all be removed from the device 110 as a unit. The drive bracket 150 includes an injection / ejection mechanism 170 (also referred to as an "ejector / ejector 170") that provides a mechanical advantage to assist in installing and removing the drive bracket.

[0047] For example, in a state where the drive bracket 150 is removed from the information processing device 110 (see Figure 4 ), the state where the drive bracket 150 is installed in the information processing device 110 can be realized by the following operations (see Figure 2 and Figure 3 ): Align the drive bracket 150 with the drive bracket socket 118 of the information processing device 110 and move the drive bracket 150 in the +y direction until the drive bracket 150 enters the socket 118, continue to move the drive bracket 150 in the +y direction until the inserter / ejector 170 (described below) of the drive bracket 150 engages with the rack 130 (described below) of the information processing device 110, and then actuate the inserter / ejector 170 to force the drive bracket 150 into Figure 2The drive bracket 150 is shown in the fully installed position. Removal of the drive bracket 150 is achieved by performing the actions reverse to those described above. Hot-swappable insertion / removal means that the drive bracket 150 is insertable / removable during normal operation of the information processing device 110 without any disassembly of the device 110 (such as removing its cover, unscrewing screws, etc.) and without powering off the device 110. These and other aspects of the system 105 are described in more detail below.

[0048] like Figure 2 As shown, the information processing device 110 includes a chassis 111, which includes one or more walls, panels and / or other structural members that support and accommodate components of the device 110. For example, the chassis 111 may include a top wall 112 (see Figure 2 and Figure 3 ), right side wall 115 (see Figure 2 and Figure 3 ), left side wall 114 (see Figure 3 ) and bottom wall 113 (see Figure 3 ). The chassis 111 may also include a front panel area, which in the example shown includes a drive bracket receptacle 118 and an auxiliary bracket 116. In other words, the front panel of the chassis 111 is not a solid panel that extends completely across the front, but instead is mostly open to allow the drive bracket 150 to be received into the chassis 111 via the receptacle 118. When the drive bracket 150 is installed in the receptacle 118, the front portion of the drive bracket 150 can function as part of the front panel of the chassis 111, but is not permanently physically attached to the chassis 111. The chassis 111 may also include a rear panel area (not shown), which may include electrical connectors, an adapter card bracket for an expansion card, or other components familiar to those of ordinary skill in the art. Some portions of the chassis 111 may be removable, such as portions of the top wall 112 that may include a cover, but typically during operation of the device, these portions are rigidly coupled to the rest of the chassis 111 via fasteners such as screws. The chassis 111 may be formed in the overall shape of a rectangular prism (box), but with various openings, protrusions, recesses, and other surface features as shown and as will be familiar to those skilled in the art.

[0049] The chassis 111 may also include a drive bracket receptacle 118 defined in a front panel of the chassis between the top wall 112, the bottom wall 113, the left side wall 114, and the right side wall 115. In addition, the chassis 111 may include a bottom insert 119 mounted on the bottom wall 113 and forming a bottom of the receptacle 118, such as Figure 7The chassis 111 also includes a top insert 189 that is similar to the bottom insert 119, except that the top insert 189 is mounted to the top wall 112 and forms the top of the receptacle 118, as shown in FIG. Figure 7 In some examples, the bottom insert 119 and the top insert 189 include a table-like or ridge-like raised portion that defines the auxiliary bracket 116 (see Figure 7 and Figure 2 ). These auxiliary brackets 116 can accommodate expansion cards, hardware accelerators, media drives, or any other desired electronic modules or components.

[0050] Inserts 119 and 189 may also include bonding pads 149 that include additional mesa-shaped protrusions that are smaller than the protrusions that form auxiliary brackets 116. These bonding pads 149 may be formed in both the grooves 141 and the raised portions of inserts 119 and 189, such as Figure 4 and Figure 7 As shown. Engagement pad 149 is configured to slidingly engage drive bracket 150 when the drive bracket is inserted into or removed from the socket. Engagement pad 149 can reduce the amount of frictional resistance generated when inserting / removing drive bracket 150 because engagement pad 149 can keep the bottom surface of drive bracket 150 separated from a portion of the surface of insert 119 and 189, thereby reducing the surface area of ​​the contact surface between insert 119 / 189 and drive bracket 150. Friction is generally proportional to the contact surface area, so reducing this area by using engagement pad 149 can reduce friction. In some examples, engagement pad 149 can also have a low friction coating or sticker (e.g., Teflon), or be made of a low friction material (e.g., nylon, brass, etc.).

[0051] like Figure 7 As shown, the front of the socket 118 is open to allow the drive bracket 150 to be inserted, and the rear portion of the socket is also open to allow the interior of the socket 118 to communicate with the back plate 120 located at the rear of the socket 118. In other words, the back plate 120 covers the back opening of the socket 118. Figure 7 As shown, the backplane 120 has blind mate connectors 124 mounted thereon and positioned to engage complementary connectors 168 (see FIG. 1 ) of the media drive 165 when the drive cage 150 is inserted into the drive cage receptacle 118. Figure 6) engagement. For example, connector 168 may include a PCB edge connector type connector (also known as a gold finger connector or PCB gold finger connector), and connector 124 may include a socket configured to receive connector 168. The number and arrangement of blind-mate connectors 124 correspond to the number and arrangement of drive bays 160 (discussed below) in drive bracket 150. Connector 124 of backplane 120 is electrically connected to information processing circuitry (not shown), such as a CPU, of device 110, and thus when drive bracket 150 is installed, media drive 165 is connected to the information processing circuitry via connector 124.

[0052] like Figure 5 and Figure 6 As shown, the drive bracket 150 includes a plurality of walls that form a structural frame surrounding and defining a plurality of internal drive bays 160. Each drive bay 160 is configured to removably receive, hold and support a media drive 165. The drive bracket 150 frame includes a top wall 153, a bottom wall 154, a left side wall 156 and a right side wall 155. Figure 5 As shown, the front portion of the drive bracket 150 is substantially open to allow the media drive 165 to be inserted into and removed from the drive bracket 150. Figure 6 As shown, the rear portion of the drive bracket 150 is also at least partially open to expose at least the electrical connector 168 at the rear of the media drive 165. The bracket 160 is configured to hold the media drives 165 in a predetermined position so that when the drive bracket 150 is installed in the socket 118, the electrical connectors of these media drives will be properly aligned with the electrical connectors 124 of the backplane 120 and can therefore be engaged with these electrical connectors. Each bracket may include one or more attachment and / or guide features that hold the drive 165 in the correct position, such as Fig. 9 The guide feature 169a shown or Fig.10 The guide features 169b shown define the boundaries between adjacent brackets 160 and abut the lateral sides of the media drives 165 to hold them in the correct lateral position within the brackets 160. These illustrated guide features 169a and 169b are only one example, and any type of guide and attachment features may be used, such as any of those used in existing brackets that secure drive mounts. Additional guide or attachment features (not shown) may be present to constrain the fore-aft (y-axis) position of the drive 165 and / or to releasably secure the media drive 165 in the bracket 160, as will be familiar to those of ordinary skill in the art.

[0053] like Figure 5 and Figure 6As shown, the driver bracket 150 also includes ridge-shaped protrusions 152 on the top and bottom sides thereof. Specifically, protrusions 152-4, 152-5, and 152-6 are provided on the top side of the driver bracket 150 and protrude upward (along the +z direction) from the top wall 153, while protrusions 152-1, 152-2, and 152-3 are provided on the bottom side of the driver bracket 150 and protrude downward (along the -z direction) from the bottom wall 154. The protrusions 152-4, 152-5, and 152-6 together with the top wall 153 define the top surface of the driver bracket 150. The protrusions 152-1, 152-2, and 152-3 together with the bottom wall 154 define the bottom surface of the driver bracket 150.

[0054] The projections 152 are configured to face the opposing surface of the socket 118 when the drive bracket 150 is in the installed position, and each projection 152 is received in a corresponding slot (recess) 141 defined in the socket 118. Figure 7 As shown, the slot 141 is formed in the space between the side wall of the chassis 111 and the adjacent auxiliary brackets 116 or between two auxiliary brackets 116. Specifically, the portion 152-1 is received in the slot 141-1, the portion 152-2 is received in the slot 141-2, and so on, until the portion 152-6 is received in the slot 141-6.

[0055] The projections 152 are also configured to contact and slide along those opposing surfaces of the socket 118 when the drive bracket 150 is inserted into the socket 118. The socket 118 must be slightly larger than the drive bracket 150, otherwise insertion of the drive bracket 150 will not be feasible. Therefore, during insertion, the projections 152 may not all engage with the opposing surfaces at the same time, but instead, one or more portions 152 may engage while other portions do not engage, as the case may be. For example, if the system 105 is oriented so that gravity pulls in the -z direction, then due to the pull of gravity, portions 152-1, 152-2, and 152-3 may engage with and slide along the bottom insert 119 during insertion, while if the system 105 is oriented in the opposite orientation, portions 152-4, 152-5, and 152-6 will instead engage with and slide along the top insert 189 during insertion. The projection 152 also includes, houses or supports various other components that will be described in greater detail below, such as the inserter / ejector 170 , alignment features 181 and 182 , and the locking feature 186 .

[0056] like Figure 6As shown, the hot-swappable drive bracket 150 includes a series of progressive alignment features, including a first level alignment feature 181, a second level alignment feature 182, and a third level alignment feature 183. Each of these levels of alignment features engages with a complementary feature of the device 110 in sequential engagement stages, wherein each stage gradually brings the drive bracket 150 closer to a desired alignment position relative to the device 110. That is, during the initial insertion of the drive bracket 150, the first level alignment features 181 first engage the device 110 to provide a rough positioning of the drive bracket 150 and guide the bracket into the socket 118; then, when the drive bracket 150 has been advanced a certain distance into the socket 118, the second level alignment features 182 engage the device 110 and guide the drive bracket 150 to move even closer to the alignment position; and then, when the drive bracket 150 has been advanced even further into the socket 118, the third engagement features 183 provide fine position adjustment to bring the drive bracket 150 (or the drive 165 housed therein) into (or sufficiently close to) the desired installation position. The first level alignment features 181 include inclined lead-in surfaces that are arranged at the rear portion of the drive bracket 150 on the top, bottom, left side, and right side of the drive bracket 150. The second level alignment features 182 include pin sockets that are also arranged at the rear of the drive bracket 150. The third level alignment features 183 include lead-in surfaces of the connector 168 of the driver 165. These will be described in more detail below.

[0057] Specifically, on the bottom side of the driver bracket 150, the first level alignment features 181 include alignment features 181-1, 181-2, and 181-3 (see Figure 6), these alignment features are respectively coupled to and protrude generally rearward (+y direction) from protrusions 152-1, 152-2, and 152-3. In addition to protruding generally rearward, alignment features 181-1, 181-2, and 181-3 also have engagement surfaces (bottom surfaces thereof) that are inclined (angled) in an upward (+z direction) direction. In other words, the engagement surfaces of alignment features 181-1, 181-2, and 181-3 extend rearward and upward at a certain angle relative to the horizontal xy plane. When drive bracket 150 is inserted into socket 118, if drive bracket 150 is slightly lower than the ideal alignment position with socket 118 (i.e., displaced in the -z direction), alignment features 181-1, 181-2, and 181-3 engage with and slide along the leading edge of the bottom surface of socket 118 (i.e., with insert 119). Because the surfaces of alignment features 181-1, 181-2 and 181-3 are tilted upward, the sliding engagement between these surfaces and the chassis converts the rearward (+y direction) movement of the drive bracket 150 into an upward and rearward angled movement, thereby guiding the drive bracket 150 into the socket 118 and closer to the alignment position.

[0058] On the top side of the driver bracket 150, the alignment features 181 include alignment features 181-4, 181-5, and 181-6 (see Figure 6 ), these alignment features are respectively coupled to and protrude generally rearward (+y direction) from protrusions 152-1, 152-2, and 152-3. In addition to protruding generally rearward, alignment features 181-4, 181-5, and 181-6 also have engagement surfaces (their top surfaces) that are inclined (angled) in a downward (-z direction) direction. In other words, the engagement surfaces of alignment features 181-4, 181-5, and 181-6 extend rearward and downward at a certain angle relative to the horizontal xy plane. When the drive bracket 150 is inserted into the socket 118, if the drive bracket 150 is slightly higher than the ideal alignment position with the socket 118 (i.e., shifted in the +z direction), the alignment features 181-4, 181-5 and 181-6 engage and slide against the leading edge of the top surface of the socket 118 (i.e., with the insert 189), and this causes the drive bracket 150 to move downward and rearward at a certain angle, thereby guiding the drive bracket 150 into the socket 118 and closer to the alignment position.

[0059] On the left side of the drive bracket 150, the alignment features 181 include alignment features 181-7 (see Figure 6), the alignment feature is coupled to the left side wall 156 and extends generally rearward (+y direction) therefrom. In addition to protruding generally rearward, the alignment feature 181-7 also has an engagement surface (its outward surface) that is inclined (angled) in an inward (-x direction) direction. In other words, the engagement surface of the alignment feature 181-7 extends rearward and inward at a certain angle relative to the vertical yz plane. When the drive bracket 150 is inserted into the socket 118, if the drive bracket 150 is slightly to the left of the ideal alignment position with the socket 118 (i.e., displaced in the +x direction), the alignment feature 181-7 engages with and slides against the leading edge of the left side of the socket 118 (i.e., with the racks 130-1 and 130-2), and this causes the drive bracket 150 to move rightward and rearward at a certain angle, thereby guiding the drive bracket 150 into the socket 118 and closer to the alignment position.

[0060] On the right side of the drive bracket 150, the alignment features 181 include alignment features 181-8 (see Figure 6 ), the alignment feature is coupled to the right side wall 155 and extends generally rearward (+y direction) therefrom. In addition to protruding generally rearward, the alignment feature 181-8 also has an engagement surface (its outward surface) that is inclined (angled) in an inward (+x direction) direction. In other words, the engagement surface of the alignment feature 181-8 extends rearward and inward at a certain angle relative to the vertical yz plane. When the drive bracket 150 is inserted into the socket 118, if the drive bracket 150 is slightly to the right of the ideal alignment position with the socket 118 (i.e., displaced in the -x direction), the alignment feature 181-8 engages with and slides against the leading edge of the right side of the socket 118 (i.e., with the racks 130-3 and 130-4), and this causes the drive bracket 150 to move leftward and rearward at a certain angle, thereby guiding the drive bracket 150 into the socket 118 and closer to the alignment position.

[0061] The first level alignment features 181 described above allow the drive bracket 150 to be misaligned with the socket 118 by a considerable amount, but still be guided into the socket 118. This makes it easier for a user to insert the drive bracket 150, especially in adverse environments, because the user does not have to struggle to try to align the drive bracket 150 with the socket 118. In some examples, the first level alignment features 181 are configured to provide up to 5 mm of positional correction for the drive bracket in any given direction. In other words, in some examples, the first level alignment features 181 are configured to allow the drive bracket 150 to be misaligned with the socket 118 by up to 5 mm in any of the up, down, left, and right directions (or superpositions thereof) and still be able to guide the drive bracket 150 into the socket 118.

[0062] Turning to the second level alignment features 182, as Figure 6 As shown, these alignment features 182 are respectively coupled to and partially received in the protrusions 152-1 to 152-6, and are aligned with the features 181-1 to 181-6. Each of these alignment features 182 includes a pin socket configured to receive a corresponding pin 142 of the device 110. Specifically, as shown in FIG. Figure 7 As shown, the pins 142 are coupled to the backplane 120 and protrude into the socket 118 to a position aligned with the alignment features 181-1 to 181-6. Figure 7 Pins 142-1 through 142-3 visible in FIG. 1 align with and engage features 181-1 through 181-3, respectively, and three additional pins 142 (not visible) align with and engage features 181-4 through 181-6, respectively.

[0063] When the driver bracket 150 is inserted into the socket 118, the first level alignment features 181 discussed above can provide an initial rough alignment of the driver bracket 150 relative to the socket 118, which results in the pins 142 being generally aligned with the alignment features 182. However, even after this initial rough alignment of the driver bracket 150, some leeway (play) is intentionally provided between the driver bracket and the socket 118 to make insertion easier, and thus the pins 142 may not be perfectly aligned with the pin receptacles of the second level alignment features 182. Therefore, to ensure that the pins 142 can still engage with the pin receptacles despite this slight misalignment, each alignment feature 181 can include a chamfered lead-in surface at the entrance to the pin receptacle, and / or each pin 142 can include a rounded or angled (e.g., chamfered or pointed) lead-in surface at its tip to facilitate engagement in the event of misalignment. In other words, the first level alignment features 181 bring the driver bracket 150 close enough to the alignment position to ensure that the rounded or angled lead-in surfaces of the pins 142 and / or the second level alignment features 182 can engage each other, causing these surfaces to slide relative to each other and thereby move the driver bracket 150 even closer to the desired installation position. In some examples, the second level alignment features can provide up to about 2.5 mm of further positional alignment above the rough alignment already provided by the first level.

[0064] In addition to providing progressively tighter positional alignment, the pins 142 and alignment features (pin receptacles) 182 also serve as locking features to lock the rear side of the bracket 150 to the chassis 111. This provides additional rigidity and structural support to resist relative movement of the drive bracket 150 with respect to the chassis 111. The front side of the bracket 150 is also locked to the chassis 111 by a locking feature 185 described in more detail below.

[0065] Turning to the third level alignment features 183, as Figure 6As shown, these alignment features 183 include lead-in surfaces of the electrical connectors 168 of the driver 165. These lead-in surfaces engage with the lead-in surfaces of the connectors 124 to provide final positional adjustment for the driver 165. That is, the second level alignment features 182 align the driver bracket 150 closely enough with the desired mounting position so that each electrical connector 168 can engage with the corresponding electrical connector 124, but there may still be some very slight misalignment between these connectors, and this last small amount of misalignment can be mitigated by the third level alignment features 183. For example, the lead-in surfaces of the connectors 168 and 124 can be chamfered or rounded so that in the event of a slight misalignment, these surfaces engage and slide along each other, thereby moving the connector 168 into full engagement with the connector 124. In some examples, the third level alignment features can provide up to about 0.8 mm of further positional alignment above the alignment already provided by the first and second levels.

[0066] like Figures 2 to 7 As shown, the drive bracket 150 also includes four inserter / ejector mechanisms 170 (also referred to as inserter / ejectors 170) to help the user insert the drive bracket 150 into the drive bracket socket 118 or remove the drive bracket 150 from the drive bracket socket. These inserter / ejectors 170 include an inserter / ejector 170-1 located at the lower left front corner area of ​​the drive bracket 150, an inserter / ejector 170-2 located at the upper left front corner area of ​​the drive bracket 150, an inserter / ejector 170-3 located at the lower right front corner area of ​​the drive bracket 150, and an inserter / ejector 170-4 located at the upper right front corner area of ​​the drive bracket 150. Each inserter / ejector 170 is configured to engage with a complementary inserter / ejector engagement element 130 anchored to the chassis 111. In this example, the complementary inserter / ejector engagement element 130 includes a rack (linear gear) and therefore may also be referred to as a rack 130. like Figure 3 , Figure 4 and Figure 7 As shown, the racks 130-1 to 130-4 are respectively arranged at the lower left front corner, the upper left front corner, the lower right front corner and the upper right front corner of the socket 118. When the drive bracket 150 is inserted into the socket 118, the racks 130-1 to 130-4 are arranged to engage with the corresponding inserters / ejectors 170-1 to 170-4, respectively.

[0067] like Figures 3 to 5 and Figures 8 to 13 As shown, each inserter / ejector 170 includes a lever 171 that can be manually actuated by a user. Figure 5As shown, the rods 171 of the two inserters / ejectors 170-1 and 170-2 located on the left side of the driver bracket 150 are coupled together via a first handle 175 extending vertically therebetween. Similarly, the two inserters / ejectors 170-3 and 170-4 located on the right side of the driver bracket 150 are coupled together via a second handle 175 extending vertically therebetween. Thus, a user can simultaneously actuate all four inserters / ejectors 170 by grasping the two handles 175 (e.g., one in each hand) and simultaneously pushing them to pivot toward the driver bracket 150 (a first actuation direction, for injection) or simultaneously pulling them to pivot away from the driver bracket 150 (a second actuation direction, for ejection). In some examples, the handles 175 can also be used as a carrying handle that allows the user to carry the driver bracket 150 when removed from the information processing device 110.

[0068] The inserter / ejector 170 is configured to convert the actuation force applied to the rod 171 (via the handle 175) into an injection force and an ejection force depending on the actuation direction. To facilitate this force conversion, as shown in FIG. Figure 5 and Figures 10 to 13 As shown, each inserter / ejector 170 further includes a gear assembly including at least a first pinion 172 coupled to the rod 171 such that actuation of the rod 171 is converted into rotation of the first pinion 172. Figure 5 and Figures 10 to 13 As shown, the gear assembly further includes a second pinion 173. The first pinion 172 and the second pinion 173 are coupled so as to rotate together in the same direction. The pinions 172 and 173 are configured to engage with the gear teeth of the rack 130, and such engagement converts the rotation of the pinions 172 and 173 (as driven by actuation of the rod 171) into translation of the drive bracket 150 relative to the chassis 111.

[0069] For example, in Figure 10 to Figure 11 In one embodiment shown, the gear assembly further includes an intermediate gear 174 that couples the first pinion 172 and the second pinion 173 together (the gear teeth of the intermediate gear 174 mesh with the gear teeth of both the first pinion 172 and the second pinion 173). Thus, actuation of the lever 171 drives rotation of the first pinion 172, which drives rotation of the intermediate gear 174, which in turn drives rotation of the second pinion 173. For example, if the lever 171 is in the Figure 5 The position shown and then applying a first actuation force to the rods to move the rod 171 toward the driver 165, which causes the first pinion 172, the intermediate gear 174 and the second pinion 173 to all move along Fig.11The drive bracket 150 rotates in the direction indicated by the dashed arrow in FIG. 1 , and the interaction between the pinions 172 and 173 and the rack 131 converts the rotation into a translational motion of the drive bracket 150 relative to the chassis 111 further into the socket 118, as shown by Fig.11 As shown by the dotted arrow in FIG. 1 (e.g., along the +y direction). Therefore, the rod 171, the gears 172, 173 and 174 and the rack 130 convert the first actuation force into an injection force. Finally, Fig.11 The state shown in FIG. 1 results in the drive bracket 150 being fully installed in the socket 118. In contrast, if the rod 171 is located at Fig.11 The position shown and then applying a second actuation force to the rods to move the rod 171 away from the driver 165, which causes the first pinion 172, the intermediate gear 174 and the second pinion 173 to all move in parallel with the position of the first pinion 172, the intermediate gear 174 and the second pinion 173. Fig.11 , thereby causing the drive bracket 150 to translate in a direction away from the socket 118 (e.g., in the -y direction). Therefore, the rod 171, the gears 172, 173 and 174, and the rack 130 convert the second actuation force into an ejection force. Finally, the drive bracket 150 is rotated in a direction opposite to the direction indicated by the dashed arrow in FIG. Figure 5 The state of lever 171 is shown, resulting in the complete disconnection of drive 165 from connector 124 (although drive bracket 150 may still be partially inserted into socket 118 at this time).

[0070] As another example, in Figure 12 to Figure 13 In one embodiment shown, the first pinion 172 and the second pinion 173 are connected together by a rod 176. The rod 176 is connected to the gears 172 and 173 away from the center of these gears. Therefore, actuation of the rod 171 drives the first pinion 172 to rotate, which drives the rod 176 to translate, which in turn drives the second pinion 173 to rotate. For example, if the rod 171 is Figure 5 As shown, and the rod 171 is actuated toward the driver 165, the first pinion 172, the rod 176, and the second pinion 173 will be as shown. Fig.13 , thereby causing injection of the driver bracket 150. In contrast, if the rod 171 is moved as shown by the dashed arrow in FIG. Figure 5 If the rod 171 is positioned as shown and then moves in the opposite direction (away from the driver 165), the movement of the first pinion 172, the rod 176 and the second pinion 173 will be the same as that of the first pinion 172, the rod 176 and the second pinion 173. Fig.13 The movement indicated by the dashed arrow in FIG. 1 is opposite to that indicated by the dashed arrow in FIG. 1 , thereby causing the drive bracket 150 to be ejected.

[0071] like Figures 10 to 13As shown, each rack 130 may include a plurality of stages 132, 133 arranged in a straight line (in the front-to-back direction). The first stage 132 of the rack may be closest to the front of the socket 118 and may protrude into the socket a first distance d1 (see Fig.11 ), and the second stage 133 of the rack 130 may be positioned behind the first stage 132 and may protrude by a second distance d2 (see Fig.11 ), the second distance being greater than the first distance d1. In some examples, the first stage 132 is coupled to the second stage 133 by an intermediate portion 131, which may have a similar thickness as the first stage 132 but may lack gear teeth. In other examples, the first stage 132 and the second stage 133 may be separate pieces. The first pinion 172 engages with the first stage 132 of the rack 130, and the second pinion 173 engages with the second stage 133 of the rack 130, as shown in FIG. Figures 10 to 13 The second pinion 173 is offset relative to the first pinion 172 along the y-axis so that the second pinion 173 can pass through the first stage 132 of the rack 130 when the drive bracket 150 is inserted into the socket 118 and the second pinion 173 is not engaged with the first stage 132 of the rack 130 .

[0072] The engagement of pinions 172 and 173 with rack 130 converts the rotation of pinions 172 and 173 into translation of drive bracket 150 relative to chassis 111. For example, if pinions 172 and 173 are rotated along the axis indicated by Fig.11 or Fig.13 The interaction between the gears 172 and 173 and the rack 130 causes the drive bracket 150 to move out of the socket 118, as shown in FIG. Fig.11 or Fig.13 If the gears 172 and 173 rotate in opposite directions, the drive bracket 150 moves further into the socket 118.

[0073] Thus, when the user actuates the handles 175 by pivoting them, the force applied by the user to the handles 175 is amplified by the mechanical advantage of the inserter / ejector 170 and converted into a force that causes relative translation between the drive bracket 150 and the chassis 111. When the drive bracket 150 is partially installed in the socket 118 (e.g., the inserter / ejector 170 is engaged with the rack 130, but the drivers 165 are not yet engaged with the connector 124), if the handles 175 are pushed to pivot toward the drivers 165, a force is generated that pushes the drive bracket 150 further into the socket 118 until the drive bracket 150 reaches a fully installed position in which the drivers 165 are fully connected to the connector 124. Conversely, when the drive bracket 150 is fully installed in the socket 118, if the handles 175 are pulled to pivot away from the drivers 165, a force is generated that pushes the drive bracket 150 out of the socket 118, thereby disconnecting all of the drivers 165 from the connector 124. In this manner, the inserters / ejectors 170 can help a user overcome frictional resistance to simultaneously engaging or disengaging the actuator 165 from the electrical connector 124 of the backplane 120. In some examples, the mechanical advantage provided by each inserter / ejector 170 is about 12:1, in other examples, about 10:1, and in other examples, about 7.5:1.

[0074] One difficulty that arises from providing a removable drive bracket (in addition to the difficulty of achieving alignment of the removable drive bracket with the backplane connector and overcoming insertion / removal resistance) is ensuring that the drive bracket 150 does not move when installed in the socket 118. For example, shock, vibration, or acceleration may tend to cause the drive bracket 150 to move within the socket 118. The injection / ejection mechanism 170, together with the friction resistance of the electrical connection between the connectors 124 and 168, can prevent forward / rearward movement of the drive bracket 150. However, movement of the drive bracket 150 in other directions is not prevented. Of course, the walls of the socket 118 do restrict the movement of the drive bracket 150 to a certain extent, but as described above, a certain amount of play is intentionally established between the bracket 150 and the socket 118 to facilitate insertion and removal, and within the limits of this play, the drive bracket 150 can move upward, downward, left, or right. Such movement may cause damage to the connector 124 of the backplane 120 and / or the connector 128 of the driver 165. Additionally, such movement, if violent or repetitive (shock or vibration), may also damage internal components of the driver 165 held in the bracket 150.

[0075] Therefore, to prevent such movement of the drive bracket 150 when installed, the drive bracket 150 includes locking features that are configured to lock the drive bracket 150 relative to the chassis 611 to prevent excessive movement (in some cases, any movement) of the drive bracket 150 relative to the chassis 611. As described above, the locking features for locking the rear side of the drive bracket 150 include the pin 142. In addition, the locking features 185 are provided for locking the front side of the drive bracket 150. The locking features 185 are configured to engage with the rails 145 disposed in the socket 118 and anchored to the chassis 111. The locking features 185 and the rails 145, when engaged, lock the position of the drive bracket 150 relative to the socket 118 and substantially prevent (or at least inhibit) movement of the drive bracket 150 relative to the socket 118.

[0076] like Figure 3 and Figure 4 As shown, the locking features 185 are provided along both the top front edge and the bottom front edge of the drive bracket 150. Each locking feature 185 is coupled to (e.g., formed by) one of the protrusions 152. Specifically, as shown in FIG. Figure 3 and Figure 4 As shown, the projections 152-1, 152-3, 152-4 and 152-6 each include one locking feature 185, while the projections 152-2 and 152-5 each include two locking features 185. The rail 145 is disposed in the slot 141 and attached to the lateral side of the auxiliary bracket 116, as shown in FIG. Figure 3 , Figure 4 and Figure 7 shown.

[0077] like Figure 7 and Fig.16 As shown, the track 145 includes a side vertical portion 145a attached to the auxiliary bracket 116, a horizontal portion 145b extending perpendicularly from the vertical portion, and a vertical support 145c perpendicular to the other two portions. In some examples, the track 145 includes plastic overmolded on a metal frame. Figure 7 As shown, for the track 145 positioned along the bottom of the socket 118, the horizontal portion 145b forms the top of the track 145, and for the track 145 positioned along the top of the socket 118, the horizontal portion 145b forms the bottom of the track 145. Figures 14 to 17 As shown, in some examples, the front edge 145d of the horizontal portion 145b can be beveled / chamfered to help guide the locking feature 185 into the engaged position in the event of an initial misalignment.

[0078] like Figure 5 , Figure 6 , Fig.16 and Fig.17As shown, each locking feature 185 includes an inclined ramp 187 and an engagement portion 184. The ramp 187 is configured to contact and slide along the front edge 145d of the track 145, which pushes the locking feature 185 upward or downward (depending on the orientation of the locking feature 185 and the track 145) until the engagement portion 184 rests on the horizontal portion 145b of the guide rail 145, as shown in FIG. Figures 14 to 17 More specifically, the locking feature 185 located on the top edge of the drive bracket 150 is pushed upward (in the +z direction) onto the horizontal portion 145b of the track 145, as shown. Fig.17 In contrast, the locking feature 185 located on the bottom edge of the drive bracket 150 is pushed downward (-z direction) onto the bottom side of the horizontal portion 145b, as shown. Fig.17 145 . The locking features 185 and the rails 145 are configured such that when the locking features 185 and the rails 145 are fully engaged, the bottom locking features 185 are fully secured against the horizontal portion 145b of the bottom rails 145, while the top locking features 185 are fully secured against the horizontal portion 145b of the top rails 145 without any gap. Therefore, because the locking features 185 are mounted to opposite sides of the rails 145 without any gap therebetween, the drive bracket 150 coupled to the locking features 185 cannot move in the vertical (z-axis) direction. For example, if the drive bracket 150 attempts to move downward, the top rails 145 ( Fig.16 ) prevents this movement; conversely, if the drive bracket 150 attempts to move upward, the bottom track 145 ( Fig.17 ) prevents this movement. Therefore, the drive bracket 150 is locked and cannot move vertically.

[0079] In some examples, this positioning can be such that the horizontal portion 145b of the rail 145 actually interferes with the locking feature 185 when the drive bracket 150 is inserted, even if the drive bracket is perfectly aligned, and thus, in order for the locking feature 185 to achieve Fig.16 and Fig.17 In the position shown, the track 145 and / or the locking feature 185 may undergo some slight elastic deformation (eg, bending). This elastic deformation generates a spring force that further assists in locking the drive bracket 150.

[0080] In addition to locking the drive bracket 150 in the up / down direction, the locking feature 185 and the track 145 can also prevent movement of the drive bracket 150 in the + / -x direction. Figure 3 , Fig.14 and Fig.15As shown, the vertical portion 145a of each track 145 can be laterally adjacent to the locking feature 185. In addition, some tracks 145 are positioned on the left side of the locking feature 185, while other tracks are positioned on the right side of the locking feature 185, so that the drive bracket 150 is constrained by the track 145 in both the left and right directions. Fig.14 and Fig.15 As shown, the leading edge of the vertical portion 145a may be beveled / chamfered to help guide the locking feature 185 into the engaged position in the event of an initial misalignment.

[0081] In the above description, various types of electronic circuits are described. As used herein, "electronic" is intended to be broadly understood to include all types of circuits that utilize electricity, including digital and analog circuits, direct current (DC) and alternating current (AC) circuits, and circuits for converting electricity into another form of energy, as well as circuits for performing other functions using electricity. In other words, as used herein, there is no distinction between "electronic" circuits and "electrical" circuits.

[0082] It should be understood that both the general description and the detailed description provide examples that are illustrative in nature and are intended to provide an understanding of the present disclosure without limiting the scope of the present disclosure. Various mechanical, compositional, structural, electronic and operational changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present specification and claims. In some instances, well-known circuits, structures and techniques are not shown or described in detail to avoid blurring these examples. In two or more drawings, the same number represents the same or similar element.

[0083] In addition, unless the context indicates otherwise, the singular forms "a", "an", and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well. In addition, the terms "comprise", "include", "includes", etc. indicate the presence of the stated features, steps, operations, elements, and / or parts, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, steps, operations, elements, parts, and / or groups. Unless explicitly stated otherwise, the parts described as connected may be directly electrically or mechanically connected, or may be indirectly connected via one or more intermediate parts. Unless the context of the specification indicates otherwise, mathematical and geometric terms do not have to be used according to their strict definitions, as one of ordinary skill in the art will understand that, for example, substantially similar elements that function in a substantially similar manner can easily fall within the scope of a descriptive term, even if the term also has a strict definition.

[0084] And / or: Occasionally, the phrase "and / or" is used herein in conjunction with a list of enumerated items. This phrase is meant to include any combination of the items in the list - from a single item to all items, and any permutations in between. Thus, for example, "A, B, and / or C" means one of "{A}, {B}, {C}, {A, B}, {A, C}, {C, B}, and {A, C, B}".

[0085] Elements and related aspects described in detail with reference to one example may be included in other examples where they are not specifically shown or described when feasible. For example, if an element is described in detail with reference to one example and is not described with reference to a second example, the element may still be claimed to be included in the second example.

[0086] In addition, unless otherwise stated herein or the context implies otherwise, when approximate terms such as "substantially," "approximately," "about," "around," "roughly," and the like are used, this should be understood to mean that mathematical precision is not required, but rather refers to a range of variation that includes but is not strictly limited to the stated value, characteristic, or relationship. In particular, in addition to any ranges (if any) explicitly recited herein, the range of variation implied by the use of such approximate terms includes at least any insignificant variations and those variations that are typical for items of the type in question due to manufacturing tolerances or other tolerances in the relevant art. In any case, unless otherwise indicated, the range of variation may at least include values ​​within the range of ±1% of the recited value, characteristic, or relationship.

[0087] In view of the disclosure herein, many modifications and variations will be clear to those of ordinary skill in the art. For example, the apparatus and method may include additional components or steps omitted from the diagram and description for operational clarity. Accordingly, this description is only interpreted as illustrative and is to teach those skilled in the art the general manner of performing this teaching. It should be understood that the various examples shown and described herein will be considered exemplary. Elements and materials, and the arrangement of these elements and materials may be used to replace those shown and described herein, components and processes may be reversed, and certain features of this teaching may be utilized independently, all of which will be clear to those skilled in the art after benefiting from the description herein. Without departing from the scope of this teaching and the appended claims, the elements described herein may be changed.

[0088] It is to be understood that the specific examples set forth herein are non-limiting and that modifications in structure, dimensions, materials, and methods may be made without departing from the scope of the present teachings.

[0089] Other examples from this disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art from consideration of the specification and practice of the invention disclosed herein. It is intended that the specification and examples be considered exemplary only, and that the following claims be given their fullest breadth, including equivalents under applicable law.

Claims

1. An information processing system, comprising: An information processing device, the information processing device comprising: a chassis defining a drive bracket receptacle; and an information processing circuit, the information processing circuit being accommodated in the chassis; A hot-swappable drive bracket, the hot-swappable drive bracket comprising a plurality of brackets, wherein a plurality of media drives are mounted in the brackets, wherein the drive bracket is removably mounted in the drive bracket socket so that the drive bracket and the media drives mounted in the brackets can be inserted into and removed from the drive bracket socket as a unit, wherein when the hot-swappable drive bracket is in an installed state in the drive bracket socket, the media drives are electrically connected to the information processing circuit.

2. The information processing system according to claim 1, in, The drive bracket includes one or more inserter / ejector mechanisms, which are configured to engage with corresponding engagement elements connected to the chassis when the drive bracket is in the drive bracket socket and convert an actuation force supplied to the inserter / ejector mechanism into an insertion force and an ejection force, wherein the insertion force and the ejection force force the drive bracket to translate to an installation position or leave the installation position relative to the chassis.

3. The information processing system according to claim 2, in, Each of the one or more inserter / ejector mechanisms comprises a rod and a gear assembly, the gear assembly comprising one or more pinion gears, wherein each of the engagement elements comprises a rack, wherein actuation of the rod drives the pinion gear to rotate, and wherein rotation of the pinion gear drives the drive bracket to translate relative to the chassis.

4. The information processing system according to claim 3, in, The one or more inserter / ejector mechanisms include four inserter / ejector mechanisms arranged at four corners of the drive bracket, and wherein the corresponding rods of two of the inserter / ejector mechanisms are connected together by a handle, and the corresponding rods of the other two of the inserter / ejector mechanisms are connected together by a handle.

5. The information processing system according to claim 3, in, For each of the inserter / ejector mechanisms, the one or more pinions include a first pinion coupled to the rod and a second pinion coupled to the first pinion such that the first pinion and the second pinion rotate together, and the corresponding engagement element includes a multi-stage rack including a first stage engaged with the first pinion and a second stage engaged with the second pinion, wherein the second stage protrudes further than the first stage.

6. The information processing system according to claim 5, in, For each of the inserter / ejector mechanisms, the gear assembly includes an intermediate gear coupling the first pinion gear to the second pinion gear.

7. The information processing system according to claim 5, in, For each of the inserter / ejector mechanisms, the gear assembly includes a rod coupling the first pinion gear to the second pinion gear.

8. The information processing system according to claim 3, in, Each of the inserter / ejector mechanisms is configured to provide for generating an injection force and an ejection force that is at least ten times greater than an actuation force applied to actuate the corresponding inserter / ejector mechanism.

9. The information processing system according to claim 1, in, The drive bracket includes one or more alignment features to engage the chassis to guide the drive bracket into an installed position.

10. The information processing system according to claim 9, in, The one or more alignment features include multiple levels of alignment features configured to sequentially engage the chassis such that each level of alignment features progressively moves the drive bracket closer to the mounting position.

11. The information processing system according to claim 10, in, The multiple levels of alignment features include a first level alignment feature including an angled surface at a rear portion of the drive bracket configured to guide the drive bracket into the drive bracket receptacle; and a second level alignment feature including a pin receptacle configured to receive a pin of the information handling device if the drive bracket is inserted into the drive bracket receptacle a predetermined distance.

12. The information processing system according to claim 1, in, The drive bracket includes a locking feature configured to engage a track in the socket attached to the chassis to restrict movement of the drive bracket if the drive bracket is in the installed position.

13. The information processing system according to claim 12, in, The locking feature includes a ramp and an engagement surface, wherein the track includes a horizontal portion, wherein the ramp is configured to engage with and slide along the horizontal portion until the engagement surface rests on the horizontal portion, Wherein, when the engagement surface rests on the horizontal portion, engagement between the engagement surface and the horizontal portion prevents movement of the drive bracket in any vertical direction.

14. The information processing system according to claim 13, in, The track includes a vertical portion that abuts lateral sides of the locking feature and prevents lateral movement of the drive bracket when the engagement surface rests on the horizontal portion.

15. The information processing system according to claim 1, in, The information handling device includes a backplane located at the rear of the drive bracket socket and including an electrical connector configured to engage with the media drive in the installed state of the drive bracket to electrically connect the media drive to the information handling circuit.

16. The information processing system according to claim 15, in, When the drive bracket moves to the installation state in the drive bracket socket, all of the media drives installed in the bracket are simultaneously engaged with the electrical connector of the backplane, and when the drive bracket moves away from the installation state in the drive bracket socket, all of the media drives installed in the bracket are simultaneously disengaged from the electrical connector of the backplane.

17. A hot-swappable drive bracket, comprising: outer walls coupled together to form a frame defining a plurality of interior bays configured to removably receive a plurality of media drives, respectively, wherein the drive bays are removably insertable as a unit into a drive bay receptacle of an information handling device with the media drives mounted therein; and One or more inserter / ejector mechanisms are connected to the frame and are configured to respectively engage with one or more corresponding engagement elements connected to a chassis of the information processing device when the drive bracket is in the drive bracket socket, and convert an actuating force supplied to the inserter / ejector mechanism into an insertion force and an ejection force, wherein the insertion force and the ejection force force the drive bracket to translate relative to the chassis to an installation position or leave the installation position, wherein in the installation position, the media drive is electrically connected to the information processing circuit.

18. The drive bracket according to claim 17, in, Each of the one or more inserter / ejector mechanisms comprises a rod and a gear assembly, the gear assembly comprising one or more pinion gears, wherein each of the engagement elements comprises a rack, wherein actuation of the rod drives the pinion gear to rotate, and wherein rotation of the pinion gear drives the drive bracket to translate relative to the chassis.

19. The drive bracket according to claim 18, in, The one or more inserter / ejector mechanisms include four inserter / ejector mechanisms arranged at four corners of the drive bracket, and wherein the corresponding rods of two of the inserter / ejector mechanisms are connected together by a handle, and the corresponding rods of the other two of the inserter / ejector mechanisms are connected together by a handle.

20. A method comprising: inserting the drive bracket into a drive bracket receptacle of an information handling device while the hot-swappable drive bracket carries a plurality of media drives in bays defined in the drive bracket; translating the drive cage further into the drive cage receptacle until one or more inserter / ejector mechanisms of the drive cage engage corresponding engagement elements of the information handling device; supplying a first actuation force to the inserter / ejector mechanism to actuate the inserter / ejector mechanism in a first direction; converting the first actuation force into an insertion force by the inserter / ejector mechanism, the insertion force forcing the drive bracket into a mounted position in the drive bracket receptacle and causing the media drive to engage with an electrical connector of the information processing device simultaneously; supplying a second actuation force to the inserter / ejector mechanism to actuate the inserter / ejector mechanism in a second direction; The second actuation force is converted into an ejection force by the inserter / ejector mechanism, and the ejection force forces the drive bracket to leave the installation position in the drive bracket socket and causes the media drive to disengage from the electrical connector of the information processing device at the same time.

Images