A host supporting multi-hard disk array expansion

Abstract

The application discloses a host supporting multiple hard disk array expansion, a shell, a circuit board arranged in the shell, a heat-conducting inner shell arranged on one side of the circuit board, and an outer peripheral wall of the heat-conducting inner shell, an inner peripheral wall of the shell and another part of the circuit board forming a replacement cavity. The application has the following advantages: the heat-conducting inner shell is arranged at the edge of the circuit board, two vertical arms are used to define the position of the mounting part, the mounting seat and the hard disk strip are arranged in the edge overhanging area of the circuit board, when the shell is removed, the hard disk strip is completely exposed in the open gap between the shell and the heat-conducting inner shell, and the hard disk strip can be directly pulled out manually from the side or the top of the host without passing through the heat dissipation fan or the high-rise element in the central area of the circuit board, and the complicated steps of forcibly disassembling the fan or the fixing screw of the mainboard in order to reach the hard disk seat in the traditional scheme are completely avoided.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of computer mainframes, and more particularly to a mainframe that supports multi-hard disk array expansion. Background Technology

[0002] Currently, mainstream mini PCs on the market generally adopt a high-density internal stacking structure in pursuit of an extremely compact size. Their outer shell is usually made of metal or plastic and is fastened by clips and multiple micro countersunk screws. The gaps between the internal motherboard, heat dissipation module and power module are extremely small. When users need to expand or replace the hard drive (such as M.2 NVMe SSD or 2.5-inch HDD), they must perform a complicated disassembly process.

[0003] Once the casing of a mini PC is successfully opened, the gap between the motherboard and the inner wall of the casing is usually small, and the hard drive socket is often blocked by the cooling fan cable, wireless network card antenna, or capacitor components. When users plug and unplug hard drives, it is difficult for their fingers or tools to directly reach the interface switches. They are often forced to remove the fan or motherboard mounting screws, which significantly increases the number of steps and makes hard drive installation and removal troublesome. Therefore, a host that supports multi-hard drive array expansion is needed to solve the above problems. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of this invention is to provide a host that supports multi-hard drive array expansion, solving the problem of inconvenient hard drive installation and removal in current mini computers.

[0005] To achieve this objective, the present invention adopts the following technical solution: A host enclosure that supports multi-hard drive array expansion; The circuit board is disposed within the housing; A heat-conducting inner shell is disposed on one side of the circuit board. The inner peripheral wall of the heat-conducting inner shell and a part of the structure of the circuit board enclose an electrical cavity. The outer peripheral wall of the heat-conducting inner shell, the inner peripheral wall of the outer shell, and another part of the structure of the circuit board enclose a replacement cavity. The structure of the circuit board exposed in the replacement cavity is provided with multiple hard disk sockets. Multiple hard disk drives are provided, and each hard disk drive is correspondingly installed with a hard disk socket. The hard disk drives are inserted into the corresponding hard disk sockets.

[0006] Furthermore, the heat-conducting inner shell includes two vertical arms and a horizontal arm at one end between the two vertical arms, forming a heat dissipation area between the two vertical arms and the horizontal arm.

[0007] Furthermore, each of the multiple hard disk drives is externally detachably provided with a retaining plate. The connection between the vertical arm and the horizontal arm is configured as a curved portion. One end of the retaining plate located at the curved portion is configured as a fixed portion. The fixed portion is detachably connected to the curved portion by bolts.

[0008] Furthermore, one end of the vertical arm is provided with a slot, and one end of the card plate is located at the position of the slot as a card part, which is inserted into the inside of the slot.

[0009] Furthermore, the heat-conducting inner shell is provided with a connector at a position above the hard disk strip. The connector is provided with a fixed part that is fixedly connected and a movable part that is movably connected. The movable part is located below the fixed part.

[0010] Furthermore, a movable rod is fixedly provided at the top of the movable component, and a movable hole is provided inside the fixed component. The top of the movable rod is inserted into the movable hole and moves up and down. An elastic element is provided inside the movable hole, and the elastic element abuts against the movable rod.

[0011] Furthermore, a fixing groove is provided at the top of the hard disk strip below the movable component, and the movable component moves within the fixing groove.

[0012] Furthermore, a cooling fan is installed near the top of the heat dissipation area of ​​the heat-conducting inner shell. A heat dissipation fin is provided below the cooling fan, and a heat-conducting column is fixed on the heat dissipation fin. The top of the heat-conducting column extends upward and is flush with the height of the cooling fan.

[0013] Furthermore, a connecting frame is provided between the heat-conducting inner shells, and the heat-conducting pillar is partially located inside the connecting frame. Multiple interfaces are installed on the circuit board.

[0014] Furthermore, the circuit board is provided with a base at its bottom, and air holes are provided at the bottom of the base, the top of the outer casing, and the outer side near the bottom.

[0015] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects: 1. By setting up a heat-conducting inner shell at the edge of the circuit board and using two vertical arms to define the position of the mounting part, the mounting base and hard drive are arranged in the suspended area at the edge of the circuit board. When the outer shell is removed, the hard drive is fully exposed in the open gap between the outer shell and the heat-conducting inner shell, without having to go over the cooling fan or tall components in the central area of ​​the circuit board. The hard drive can be directly plugged in or unplugged from the side or top of the host, completely avoiding the cumbersome steps of having to remove the fan or motherboard fixing screws in order to reach the hard drive socket in the traditional solution.

[0016] 2. A removable external clamp is used to secure multiple hard drive modules. The clamp can uniformly press and fix multiple hard drive modules. During installation, only the clamp needs to be installed or removed to simultaneously fix or release multiple hard drive modules. Compared with the traditional method of fixing each hard drive with a screw, it can effectively improve the hard drive installation efficiency and reduce the maintenance difficulty. Attached Figure Description

[0017] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0018] The structures, proportions, sizes, etc., shown in the accompanying drawings of this specification are only for the purpose of assisting those skilled in the art in understanding and reading the content disclosed in the specification, and are not intended to limit the conditions under which the present invention can be implemented. Therefore, they have no substantial technical significance. Any modifications to the structure, changes in the proportions, or adjustments to the size, without affecting the effects and objectives that the present invention can produce, should still fall within the scope of the technical content disclosed in the present invention.

[0019] Figure 1 This is a three-dimensional frontal view of the entire structure. Figure 2 This is a three-dimensional diagram of the entire back. Figure 3 This is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the second front view of the whole structure; Figure 4 This is a frontal view of the entire structure. Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the overall side view; Figure 6 This is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the outer shell; Figure 7 for Figure 5 Enlarged diagram of point A in the middle.

[0020] Illustration: 1. Base; 2. Circuit board; 3. Hard drive socket; 4. Heat-conducting inner shell; 401. Bending part; 402. Slot; 403. Vertical arm; 404. Horizontal arm; 5. Hard drive bar; 501. Fixing slot; 6. Card plate; 601. Card part; 602. Fixing part; 7. Cooling fan; 8. Heat-conducting column; 9. Heat dissipation fins; 10. Connecting bracket; 11. Interface; 12. Connecting component; 13. Outer shell; 14. Fixing component; 1401. Movable hole; 15. Movable component; 1501. Movable rod; 16. Elastic component. Detailed Implementation

[0021] To make the objectives, features, and advantages of this invention more apparent and understandable, the technical solutions of the embodiments of this invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the embodiments described below are only some embodiments of this invention, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of this invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this invention.

[0022] In the description of this invention, it should be understood that the terms "upper," "lower," "top," "bottom," "inner," and "outer," etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation of the invention. It should be noted that when a component is considered to be "connected" to another component, it can be directly connected to the other component or there may be a component positioned centrally in the connection.

[0023] The technical solution of the present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0024] This invention provides a host that supports multi-hard disk array expansion. Please refer to [link / reference]. Figures 1-4 The system includes: a housing 13, a circuit board 2, a heat-conducting inner shell 4, and the circuit board 2 is disposed inside the housing 13; the heat-conducting inner shell 4 is disposed on one side of the circuit board 2, and the inner peripheral wall of the heat-conducting inner shell 4 and a part of the structure of the circuit board 2 enclose an electrical cavity; the outer peripheral wall of the heat-conducting inner shell 4, the inner peripheral wall of the housing 13, and another part of the structure of the circuit board 2 enclose a replacement cavity; the structure of the circuit board 2 exposed in the replacement cavity is provided with multiple hard drive sockets 3; multiple hard drive strips 5 are arranged one-to-one with multiple hard drive sockets 3, and the hard drive strips 5 are inserted into the corresponding hard drive sockets 3.

[0025] like Figures 1-4 As shown, circuit board 2 is the core control hub of the entire host, housing core components such as the CPU, memory, and chipset. It also provides electrical connections and data transmission channels for the hard drive modules 5 via multiple hard drive bays 3 mounted on the board. The hard drive bays 3 serve as the physical interface 11 between the hard drive modules 5 and circuit board 2, ensuring reliable signal transmission and power supply. All hard drive modules 5 are directly connected to circuit board 2 via the onboard hard drive bays 3, eliminating the need to occupy external expansion interfaces 11 such as USB and Thunderbolt, freeing up external interfaces 11 for other peripherals. Compared to external adapters, this onboard direct connection method results in lower data transmission latency and more stable bandwidth, which is beneficial for the performance of the RAID array. The integration of multiple hard drive bays 3 onto a single circuit board 2 simplifies internal wiring complexity and improves the overall reliability of the system.

[0026] The two-group aligned arrangement means that the hard drive bays 3 are not arranged in a single row linearly on the circuit board 2, but are divided into two groups, left and right. The hard drive bays 3 in each group are aligned in the vertical direction. The two groups are located on both sides of the circuit board 2, maximizing the utilization of both sides within the limited area of ​​the circuit board 2. Traditional mini PCs usually only arrange 1 to 2 hard drive bays on one side. With the two-side aligned arrangement, the number of hard drive bays can be doubled or even more without increasing the area of ​​the circuit board 2. The significance of the aligned arrangement is that the hard drive bays 3 at the same height on both sides are coplanar in space. This provides a geometric basis for the uniform bonding of the heat-conducting inner shell 4 and the synchronous pressing of the card plate 6. The hard drive strips 5 on both sides can be fixed simultaneously on the same plane by the same card plate 6. At the same time, the symmetrical arrangement on both sides makes the heat source distribution more uniform, avoiding the problem of local overheating caused by concentrated heat on one side, and truly realizing the expansion of the internal hard drive array in the compact form of the mini PC.

[0027] Hard drive module 5 refers to a storage unit in the form of a strip. It can be a strip module of a 2.5-inch SATA hard drive, an M.2 NVMe hard drive, or a custom hard drive expansion strip. "Hot-swappable" means that the hard drive module 5 and the hard drive socket 3 adopt a standardized plugging method, such as gold finger plugging, SATA hot-swappable interface 11, or a snap-on quick-release structure. Users can install and remove the hard drive module 5 without tools. If the hard drive fails, it can be directly removed and replaced without disassembling the entire machine. Users can choose to install 1, 2, or up to the maximum number of hard drive modules 5 according to their needs, so as to achieve flexible configuration of storage capacity. Multiple hard drive modules 5 can be configured into RAID 0 / 1 / 5 / 10 array modes with the support of the motherboard chipset, or used as independent disks. Compared with traditional block hard drives, strip hard drives are more suitable for use in layouts with double-sided alignment, reducing the horizontal space occupied.

[0028] The thermally conductive inner shell 4 is a plate-like structure located at the edge of the circuit board 2. Its core function is to provide a physical contact surface and reference surface for the hard drive slots 5. The hard drive socket 3 is located on one side of the thermally conductive inner shell 4, meaning that all hard drive slots 5 are inserted into the hard drive socket 3 from the same side (inner side) of the thermally conductive inner shell 4. The thermally conductive inner shell 4 is equivalent to erecting a "wall" at the edge of the circuit board 2. The thermally conductive inner shell 4 provides a unified physical positioning reference for all hard drive slots 5, ensuring that the position of each hard drive slot 5 after being inserted into the hard drive socket 3 is consistent, avoiding alignment deviations caused by accumulated tolerances. The thermally conductive inner shell 4 itself has a certain degree of rigidity, which can distribute the mechanical stress generated when the hard drive slots 5 are inserted, protecting the solder joints on the hard drive socket 3 and the circuit board 2 from bending forces. At the same time, the thermally conductive inner shell 4 separates the edge area of ​​the circuit board 2 from the external space, playing a certain role in electromagnetic shielding and physical protection. More importantly, the presence of the thermally conductive inner shell 4 allows the subsequent clamping plate 6 to uniformly press all hard drive slots 5 from the outside, forming a sandwich clamping structure of "thermally conductive inner shell 4 - hard drive - clamping plate 6".

[0029] After all hard drive modules 5 are inserted into the hard drive socket 3, the side of each module closest to the heat-conducting inner shell 4 remains in contact with the inner surface of the heat-conducting inner shell 4. This contact can be surface contact or line contact. The key is that all hard drive modules 5 are uniformly constrained in the direction of the heat-conducting inner shell 4. All hard drive modules 5 are "blocked" in one direction by the heat-conducting inner shell 4, eliminating the degree of freedom in that direction. This prevents the hard drive modules 5 from shifting or wobbling outwards during insertion and removal. If the heat-conducting inner shell 4 is made of metal such as aluminum alloy, the side of the hard drive module 5 in contact with the heat-conducting inner shell 4 can conduct heat away through the heat-conducting inner shell 4, which also serves as a heat dissipation channel. When the card plate 6 presses against the hard drive module 5 from the outside, the heat-conducting inner shell 4 provides a surface to bear the reaction force, forming a complete mechanical balance. The pressure of the card plate 6 is transmitted to the heat-conducting inner shell 4 through the hard drive module 5, and the heat-conducting inner shell 4 then transmits the force to the circuit board 2 and the chassis structure.

[0030] The clamping plate 6 is a plate-like component covering the outside of all hard drive modules 5. Its function is to uniformly press and secure multiple hard drive modules 5. "Removable" means that the clamping plate 6 uses a non-permanent connection method with the host, such as bolt connection, snap connection, or pin connection. The clamping plate 6 can be installed and removed individually without removing the hard drive modules 5. Only one installation and removal action of the clamping plate 6 is needed to simultaneously fix or release all hard drive modules 5, improving installation efficiency by many times. When it is necessary to replace a hard drive module 5, simply remove the clamping plate 6, remove the target hard drive, install the new hard drive, and reinstall the clamping plate 6. The entire process does not require the use of screwdrivers or other tools. As a single plate, the clamping plate 6 applies pressure evenly to all hard drive modules 5, avoiding the loosening or overtightening caused by inconsistent torque when tightening individual screws. Compared to having an independent locking mechanism for each hard drive, the manufacturing cost of a single clamping plate 6 is far lower than that of N sets of independent locking components.

[0031] Specific process: First, the heat-conducting inner shell 4 is installed on the edge of the circuit board 2. The heat-conducting inner shell 4 is fixed to the frame of the circuit board 2 with screws or clips, forming a "wall". At the same time, the heat-conducting inner shell 4 provides a unified positioning reference surface and physical contact surface for all subsequent hard drive modules 5. Next, the hard drive modules 5 are inserted one by one into the hard drive socket 3. Since the hard drive socket 3 is arranged in two aligned groups on both sides of the circuit board 2, the hard drive modules 5 naturally form a vertically aligned and horizontally symmetrical layout after insertion. After the hard drive module 5 is inserted into place, the side of the hard drive module 5 closest to the heat-conducting inner shell 4 naturally fits against the inner surface of the heat-conducting inner shell 4, and the electrical connection between the hard drive module 5 and the hard drive socket 3 is automatically established. Data transmission and power supply are connected simultaneously. At this time, the hard drive module 5... The hard drive 5 is constrained in the direction of the heat-conducting inner shell 4 and will not shift outward, but it is still in a free state in the outward direction and has not yet been fixed. Finally, the clamping plate 6 is placed over the outside of all the hard drive 5, and the clamping plate 6 is aligned with the outside of the hard drive 5 so that the clamping plate 6 covers the outer surface of all the hard drive 5. Then the clamping plate 6 is fixed. Specifically, the clamping plate 6 can be locked to the curved part 401 of the heat-conducting inner shell 4 with bolts, or the clamping part 601 at one end of the clamping plate 6 can be inserted into the slot 402 at the top of the vertical arm 403 of the heat-conducting inner shell 4. After the clamping plate 6 is fixed, a uniform clamping force is applied to all the hard drive 5, and the hard drive 5 is clamped between the heat-conducting inner shell 4 and the clamping plate 6, completing the overall fixation.

[0032] Please continue reading. Figures 1-4 The heat-conducting inner shell 4 includes two vertical arms 403 and one horizontal arm 404. Two sets of hard disk seats 3 are respectively located on one side of the two vertical arms 403. The connection between the vertical arms 403 and the horizontal arm 404 is set as a bent part 401. The end of the card plate 6 located at the bent part 401 is set as a fixed part 602. The fixed part 602 is detachably connected to the bent part 401 by bolts. One end of the vertical arm 403 is provided with a slot 402. One end of the card plate 6 is located at the position of the slot 402 as a card part 601. The card part 601 is inserted into the inside of the slot 402.

[0033] like Figures 1-4 As shown, the heat-conducting inner shell 4 has an overall "door" or inverted "U" shaped structure, consisting of two vertically extending vertical arms 403 and a horizontal arm 404 connecting the bottom of the two vertical arms 403. The two vertical arms 403 are located on both sides of the circuit board 2, which is equivalent to erecting a "wall" on each side of the circuit board 2; the horizontal arm 404 is located between the two vertical walls, connecting the two vertical walls into an overall frame. The two sets of hard disk slots 3 are respectively arranged on the inner side of the two vertical arms 403 (i.e., the side facing the center of the circuit board 2), and each set of hard disk slots 3 is arranged along the height direction of the vertical arms 403, forming a vertically aligned layout.

[0034] The connection between the vertical arm 403 and the horizontal arm 404 is not a right-angle hard connection, but is specially processed into a curved transition shape, namely "bent part 401". This bent part 401 can be an arc transition or an obtuse angle bend. One end of the clamping plate 6 (i.e. "fixed part 602") extends to the position of the bent part 401. The clamping plate 6 is locked to the heat-conducting inner shell 4 by bolts passing through the bolt holes on the fixed part 602 and the bent part 401.

[0035] Specifically, the bend 401 eliminates stress concentration. If the vertical arm 403 and the horizontal arm 404 are connected at a right angle, severe stress concentration will occur at the root of the right angle under the clamping force of the clamping plate 6, which is prone to fatigue cracks after long-term use. By designing the connection as a bend 401, the force transmission path becomes smoother, the stress distribution is more uniform, and the fatigue life and structural reliability of the heat-conducting inner shell 4 are significantly improved. The bend 401 provides a natural installation platform for the clamping plate 6. Due to its transition shape, the bend 401 forms a sloping or arc-shaped surface between the vertical arm 403 and the horizontal arm 404. This surface can serve as the contact surface for the clamping part 602 of the clamping plate 6. Compared with drilling bolt holes on the plane of the vertical arm 403, the sloping surface of the bend 401 makes the bolt screwing direction more reasonable, the angle between the bolt axis and the force direction of the clamping plate 6 is better, the shear component borne by the bolt is reduced, the connection is more secure, and the bolt connection method achieves true detachability. Users only need a screwdriver to install and remove the clamping plate 6 without any special tools. The clamping force of bolted connections can be precisely controlled by torque, ensuring sufficient clamping force without damaging the hard drive module 5 or the heat-conducting inner shell 4 due to overtightening. In contrast, permanent connection methods such as welding or riveting require destructive disassembly during maintenance, which is not conducive to hard drive replacement.

[0036] A slot 402 is provided at the top of the vertical arm 403 (the end away from the horizontal arm 404). The opening of the slot 402 faces outward, and the internal space matches the shape of the card part 601 of the card plate 6. One end of the card plate 6 is processed into a shape that matches the slot 402 (i.e., "card part 601"). During installation, the card part 601 is directly inserted into the slot 402, and the card part 601 is positioned and fixed by the pressure of the side wall of the slot 402 on it.

[0037] Specifically, the heat-conducting inner shell 4 is mounted on the edge of the circuit board 2 in the form of a "door" shaped frame. Two vertical arms 403 are located on the left and right sides of the circuit board 2, respectively, and a horizontal arm 404 is located at the bottom connecting the two vertical arms 403. Two sets of hard drive sockets 3 are respectively arranged on the inner side of the two vertical arms 403, aligned vertically along the height direction of the vertical arms 403. When installing the hard drive 5, the hard drive 5 is inserted into the corresponding hard drive socket 3 from the inside of the vertical arm 403, and the outer side of the hard drive 5 naturally fits against the inner surface of the vertical arm 403. After all the hard drive 5 are inserted into place, the retaining plate 6 is covered on the outside of all the hard drive 5, so that the fixing part 602 of the retaining plate 6 is aligned with the curved part 401 at the connection between the vertical arm 403 and the horizontal arm 404. At this time, the arc-shaped surface of the curved part 401 provides a fitting surface and guide for the fixing part 602. Then, the bolts are passed through the bolt holes on the fixing part 602 and the corresponding bolt holes on the curved part 401, and tightened with a screwdriver. After the bolts are tightened, the fixing part 602 is firmly pressed onto the bending part 401, and the clamping plate 6 applies a uniform clamping force to all hard disk modules 5, and the hard disk modules 5 are clamped between the vertical arm 403 and the clamping plate 6.

[0038] Please see Figure 7 The heat-conducting inner shell 4 is provided with a connector 12 located above the hard disk module 5. The connector 12 is provided with a fixed member 14 and a movable member 15. The movable member 15 is located below the fixed member 14. A movable rod 1501 is fixedly provided on the top of the movable member 15. A movable hole 1401 is provided inside the fixed member 14. The top of the movable rod 1501 is inserted into the movable hole 1401 and moves up and down. An elastic member 16 is provided inside the movable hole 1401 and abuts against the movable rod 1501. A fixing groove 501 is provided at the top of the hard disk module 5 located below the movable member 15. The movable member 15 moves inside the fixing groove 501.

[0039] like Figure 7 As shown, the connector 12 is located in the upper region of the heat-conducting inner shell 4, that is, in the top direction of the hard disk strip 5. The connector 12 itself is a connecting bridge, which connects the heat-conducting inner shell 4 to the fixed / movable mechanism above. The connector 12 integrates two functional units. The fixed part 14 is firmly installed on the connector 12 by a rigid connection (such as welding, bolt fixing or integral molding), and its position cannot be changed. The movable part 15 is installed on the connector 12 by a movable connection (such as hinge, sliding or elastic connection), and can move up and down relative to the fixed part 14. The movable part 15 is always located below the fixed part 14.

[0040] Specifically, a clamping system with dual constraints is formed. The heat-conducting inner shell 4 and the clamping plate 6 have already constrained the hard drive 5 in the horizontal direction (one side is attached to the heat-conducting inner shell 4, and the other side is pressed down by the clamping plate 6), but the hard drive 5 is still free in the vertical direction—if the host is subjected to severe vibration or tilting, the hard drive 5 may jump or even fall out of the hard drive socket 3 in the vertical direction. By adding a combination mechanism of a fixing part 14 and a moving part 15 above the hard drive 5, the shortcoming of vertical constraint is made up, so that the hard drive 5 is reliably fixed in three directions.

[0041] A movable rod 1501 extends from the top of the movable part 15. This rod is inserted into a pre-machined movable hole 1401 inside the fixed part 14. The movable hole 1401 provides a guide channel for the movable rod 1501 to move up and down, restricting the movable rod 1501 to move only in the vertical direction and preventing it from shifting laterally. An elastic element 16 (such as a compression spring, spring sheet, or elastic rubber column) is also installed inside the movable hole 1401. One end of the elastic element 16 abuts against the top of the movable rod 1501 (or the stepped surface on the movable rod 1501), and the other end abuts against the bottom of the movable hole 1401 (or the limiting surface on the fixed part 14).

[0042] The movable rod 1501 and the movable hole 1401 constitute a precision guiding mechanism. After the movable rod 1501 is inserted into the movable hole 1401, a clearance fit or sliding fit is formed between the two. The movable rod 1501 can only move along the axial direction of the hole (i.e., the vertical direction), completely eliminating the degree of freedom of the movable part 15 in the horizontal direction. This guiding method is more stable than a simple hinge, and there will be no problem of the movable part 15 wobbling from side to side, ensuring that the clamping force always acts perpendicularly on the top of the hard disk strip 5.

[0043] The elastic element 16 provides a continuous downward clamping force. The elastic element 16 is always in a compressed state (or stretched state, depending on the installation method), applying a continuous, downward elastic force to the movable rod 1501. This elastic force is transmitted through the movable rod 1501 to the movable element 15, and then from the movable element 15 to the top of the hard drive bay 5, forming a preload that is always present without any external operation. Even without the clamping plate 6, this upper mechanism alone can provide a certain degree of constraint on the top of the hard drive bay 5.

[0044] The elastic element 16 achieves height adaptive compensation. When there is a deviation between the actual height of the hard drive strip 5 and the designed height, the movable rod 1501 will move up and down within the movable hole 1401, compressing or releasing the elastic element 16. The deformation of the elastic element 16 automatically adjusts to compensate for the height difference, always ensuring that the bottom of the movable element 15 is in close contact with the top of the hard drive strip 5. This significantly improves the tolerance of parts in mass production and reduces the assembly precision requirements.

[0045] A mounting groove 501 is machined on the top surface of the hard drive module 5. The position of the mounting groove 501 corresponds exactly to the bottom of the movable part 15, and the shape and size of the mounting groove 501 match the bottom shape of the movable part 15. During installation, the bottom of the movable part 15 is inserted into the mounting groove 501, and the movable part 15 can move up and down within the mounting groove 501.

[0046] Precise positioning of the top of the hard drive module 5 is achieved. The fixing slot 501 provides a precise receiving space for the movable part 15. After the movable part 15 is inserted into the fixing slot 501, it is completely constrained in the horizontal direction by the side wall of the fixing slot 501, and will not shift left, right, forward or backward. This, together with the constraint of the movable rod 1501 in the movable hole 1401, forms a dual positioning—the movable rod 1501 constrains the horizontal degree of freedom of the upper part of the movable part 15, and the fixing slot 501 constrains the horizontal degree of freedom of the lower part of the movable part 15. The two work together to ensure that the movable part 15 can only move in a purely vertical direction, resulting in extremely high positioning accuracy.

[0047] The fit between the fixed groove 501 and the movable part 15 can be designed as an interference fit or a snap-fit ​​fit. If the size of the fixed groove 501 is slightly smaller than the size of the bottom of the movable part 15, a certain amount of interference will be generated when the movable part 15 is inserted. This interference itself provides friction, preventing the movable part 15 from easily dislodging from the fixed groove 501. Alternatively, a barb or snap can be designed at the opening of the fixed groove 501. After the movable part 15 is inserted, it is blocked by the snap and needs to be pulled upward a certain distance to dislodge, further improving the reliability of the connection.

[0048] The retaining groove 501 distributes the clamping force, protecting the hard drive module 5. Without the retaining groove 501, the moving part 15 presses directly onto the top surface of the hard drive module 5, concentrating the clamping force on a very small area, which could easily cause localized dents or damage to the outer casing 13 of the hard drive module 5. The design of the retaining groove 501 allows the bottom of the moving part 15 to be embedded in the groove at the top of the hard drive module 5, increasing the contact area and distributing the clamping force evenly across the bottom and sidewalls of the retaining groove 501. This significantly reduces the localized pressure on the hard drive module 5 and protects its structural integrity.

[0049] Specifically, firstly, the heat-conducting inner shell 4 is installed on the edge of the circuit board 2, and the two sets of hard drive sockets 3 are located on the inner sides of the two vertical arms 403 respectively, with the hard drive 5 not yet inserted. At this time, the connector 12 is already installed above the heat-conducting inner shell 4, and the fixing member 14 is rigidly fixed to the connector 12 and cannot move. The movable member 15 is inserted into the movable hole 1401 of the fixing member 14 through the movable rod 1501. The elastic member 16 is in a natural or slightly pre-compressed state, and the movable member 15 is located below the fixing member 14. Next, the hard drive 5 is inserted into the corresponding hard drive socket 3 from the inside of the heat-conducting inner shell 4. During the insertion process, the top of the hard drive 5 gradually approaches the bottom of the movable member 15. When the hard drive 5 is inserted in place, the fixing groove 501 at the top of the hard drive 5 is aligned with the bottom of the movable member 15. The hard drive 5 is then pushed down into the hard drive socket 3, and the fixing groove 501 at the top of the hard drive 5 fits into the bottom of the movable member 15, guiding the movable member 15 into the fixing groove 501. During this process, the movable part 15 stops moving downwards after its bottom contacts the bottom surface of the fixing groove 501, while the hard drive 5 continues to move downwards to insert into the hard drive socket 3. At this time, the movable rod 1501 moves upwards within the movable hole 1401, compressing the elastic part 16. The elastic part 16 generates a downward elastic force after being compressed, which is transmitted to the movable part 15 through the movable rod 1501. The movable part 15 applies a downward pressing force to the bottom surface of the fixing groove 501. When the hard drive 5 is fully inserted into the hard drive socket 3, the compression of the elastic part 16 reaches the design value, and the movable part 15 forms a stable pre-tightening pressure on the top of the hard drive 5. Finally, the retaining plate 6 covers and fixes all the hard drive 5 on the outside. The retaining plate 6 presses the hard drive 5 from the outside, the heat-conducting inner shell 4 supports the hard drive 5 from the inside, and the movable part 15 above elastically presses the hard drive 5 from the top. The three-way force system locks the hard drive 5 in space, completing the installation.

[0050] Please see Figures 1-6 A cooling fan 7 is installed near the top of the heat-conducting inner shell 4. A heat dissipation fin 9 is provided below the cooling fan 7. A heat-conducting column 8 is fixed on the heat dissipation fin 9. The top of the heat-conducting column 8 extends upward and is flush with the height of the cooling fan 7. A connecting frame 10 is provided between the heat-conducting inner shells 4. Part of the heat-conducting column 8 is located inside the connecting frame 10. Multiple interfaces 11 are installed on the circuit board 2. A base 1 is provided at the bottom of the circuit board 2. A shell 13 is detachably connected to the top edge of the base 1.

[0051] like Figures 1-6As shown, the space between the two vertical arms 403 forms a natural heat dissipation channel. The cooling fan 7 is installed at the top of this channel, actively drawing hot air out of the machine. Cooling fins 9 are arranged directly below the cooling fan 7. The fins increase the contact area with the air, quickly conducting and dissipating the heat generated by the hard drive module 5 to a larger surface area. The heat-conducting pillar 8 acts as a heat conduction bridge connecting the cooling fins 9 and the cooling fan 7. It extends upwards from the cooling fins 9, with its top level with the cooling fan 7, allowing heat to be directly transferred from the subsequently installed device to the fan's air intake surface via the fins and heat-conducting pillar 8.

[0052] Specifically, this design fully utilizes the unused space between the heat-conducting inner shell 4. The area between the two vertical arms 403 was originally just the installation area for the hard drive module 5; the space above it would be essentially dead volume if left unused. This solution embeds the entire cooling system into this space, without occupying any additional layout area within the host, achieving a composite utilization of structural space. The design of the top of the heat-conducting pillar 8 being flush with the height of the cooling fan 7 has crucial thermodynamic significance. In traditional solutions, there is usually an air gap between the fins and the fan. Air has extremely low thermal conductivity (approximately 0.026 W / m·K), and this gap acts as a thermal resistance bottleneck, severely limiting cooling efficiency. In this solution, the heat-conducting pillar 8 extends directly upwards to be flush with the fan, effectively replacing that inefficient air gap with a high thermal conductivity metal pillar (approximately 200 W / m·K for aluminum alloy and approximately 380 W / m·K for copper). Heat is directly conducted to the fan intake surface through the heat-conducting pillar 8 and then carried away by the airflow, significantly reducing thermal resistance and greatly improving cooling efficiency.

[0053] The connector 10 is a structural component spanning between the two vertical arms 403. Located between the cooling fan 7 and the fins, it serves as a connector and support. The heat-conducting pillar 8 is not independently suspended but partially inserted into or embedded within the connector 10, which provides lateral support and positioning for it. Meanwhile, multiple interfaces 11 are installed on the circuit board 2. These interfaces 11 can be data interfaces (such as SATA, USB, network ports, etc.) or power interfaces 11, distributed across the circuit board 2, connecting to the host's external communication or power supply systems. The multiple interfaces 11 on the circuit board 2 provide a foundation for system function expansion. Since all hard drive modules 5 are directly connected to the circuit board 2 via the internal hard drive socket 3, the saved interface 11 resources on the circuit board 2 can be used to connect external monitors, networks, USB devices, etc., ensuring that the host has powerful internal storage capabilities while maintaining unaffected external connectivity. The interfaces 11 are distributed in different locations on the circuit board 2, allowing users to easily connect cables from different directions outside the host, making cabling more flexible.

[0054] The base 1 is a structural component mounted directly beneath the circuit board 2, typically made of metal (such as aluminum alloy, but plastic structures are also possible). Its main function is to provide rigid support and a planar reference for the circuit board 2. The bottom of the base 1 also serves as the contact surface for the entire device, allowing it to be placed on a desktop or rack. The outer shell 13 covers the top edge of the base 1. The outer shell 13 is detachably connected to the base 1 using methods such as snap-fit ​​connections, screw connections, or slide rail connections. The outer shell 13 encloses the edges and sides of the base 1, forming the overall external outline and protective layer of the device.

[0055] Specifically, when the host is powered on, the hard drive 5 starts to work and generates heat. The heat is conducted from the outer shell 13 of the hard drive 5 to the surface of the heat-conducting inner shell 4 that is attached to it (the heat-conducting inner shell 4 is usually made of aluminum alloy with a high thermal conductivity). The heat spreads in two directions along the heat-conducting inner shell 4: downwards to the base 1 at the bottom, where it is dissipated through radiation and convection on the bottom surface of the base 1; upwards to the heat dissipation fins 9 in the area between the heat-conducting inner shells 4, where the heat is subsequently carried away by the airflow generated by the cooling fan 7.

[0056] In this embodiment, hard disk drive 5, or hard disk, is the most crucial external storage device in a computer, used to permanently store the operating system, applications, and personal data. Its biggest difference from RAM is that data is not lost when power is off. If RAM is a temporary "workstation" for processing data, then the hard disk is a "file cabinet" for permanently storing data.

[0057] The above-described embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention, and are not intended to limit it. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications can still be made to the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or equivalent substitutions can be made to some of the technical features. Such modifications or substitutions do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention.

Claims

1. A host that supports multi-hard disk array expansion, characterized in that, include: Outer shell (13); Circuit board (2) is disposed inside the housing (13); A heat-conducting inner shell (4) is disposed on one side of the circuit board (2). The inner peripheral wall of the heat-conducting inner shell (4) and a part of the structure of the circuit board (2) form an electrical cavity. The outer peripheral wall of the heat-conducting inner shell (4), the inner peripheral wall of the outer shell (13) and another part of the structure of the circuit board (2) form a replacement cavity. The structure of the circuit board (2) exposed in the replacement cavity is provided with multiple hard disk sockets (3). Multiple hard disk strips (5) are provided, and the multiple hard disk strips (5) are correspondingly arranged with the multiple hard disk sockets (3). The hard disk strips (5) are inserted into the corresponding hard disk sockets (3).

2. A host supporting multi-hard disk array expansion according to claim 1, characterized in that, The heat-conducting inner shell (4) includes two vertical arms (403) and a horizontal arm (404) at one end between the two vertical arms (403), and a heat dissipation area is formed between the two vertical arms (403) and the horizontal arm (404).

3. A host supporting multi-hard disk array expansion according to claim 2, characterized in that, Each of the multiple hard disk strips (5) is externally detachably provided with a retaining plate (6). The connection between the vertical arm (403) and the horizontal arm (404) is configured as a bent portion (401). One end of the retaining plate (6) located at the bent portion (401) is configured as a fixing portion (602). The fixing portion (602) is detachably connected to the bent portion (401) by bolts.

4. A host supporting multi-hard disk array expansion according to claim 3, characterized in that, One end of the vertical arm (403) is provided with a slot (402), and one end of the card plate (6) is located at the position of the slot (402) as a card part (601), which is inserted into the inside of the slot (402).

5. A host supporting multi-hard disk array expansion according to claim 1, characterized in that, The heat-conducting inner shell (4) is provided with a connector (12) located above the hard disk strip (5). The connector (12) is provided with a fixed part (14) for fixed connection and a movable part (15) for movable connection. The movable part (15) is located below the fixed part (14).

6. A host supporting multi-hard disk array expansion according to claim 5, characterized in that, The movable part (15) is fixed with a movable rod (1501) at the top. The fixed part (14) has a movable hole (1401) inside. The top of the movable rod (1501) is inserted into the movable hole (1401) and moves up and down. The movable hole (1401) is provided with an elastic element (16) inside, and the elastic element (16) abuts against the movable rod (1501).

7. A host supporting multi-hard disk array expansion according to claim 5, characterized in that, The hard disk strip (5) has a fixing groove (501) at the top of the movable part (15) below it, and the movable part (15) moves inside the fixing groove (501).

8. A host supporting multi-hard disk array expansion according to claim 2, characterized in that, A cooling fan (7) is installed near the top of the heat dissipation area of ​​the heat-conducting inner shell (4). A heat dissipation fin (9) is provided below the cooling fan (7). A heat-conducting column (8) is fixed on the heat dissipation fin (9), and the top of the heat-conducting column (8) extends to the top and is flush with the height of the cooling fan (7).

9. A host supporting multi-hard disk array expansion according to claim 8, characterized in that, A connecting frame (10) is provided between the heat-conducting inner shells (4), and part of the heat-conducting column (8) is located inside the connecting frame (10). Multiple interfaces (11) are installed on the circuit board (2).

10. A host supporting multi-hard disk array expansion according to claim 1, characterized in that, The bottom of the circuit board (2) is provided with a base (1), and air holes are provided at the bottom of the base (1), the top of the outer shell (13), and the outer side near the bottom.

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