Elastomeric Sleeve for Hard Drive Shock Protection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional ruggedized hard drives are proprietary, limiting options for upgrades and are difficult to install and remove, especially in harsh environments where shock and vibration protection is needed.
Innovation Solution
A sleeve made of elastomeric material that surrounds commercial off-the-shelf hard drives, providing shock and vibration protection, with a keying mechanism for proper placement and a tab for easy installation and removal, allowing use of any form factor and standard communication interfaces.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional ruggedized hard drives are used, then shock and vibration protection is provided, but the device becomes proprietary and limited in upgrade options
Solution Approach 1:
The ruggedized hard drive is segmented into two independent parts: a protective sleeve and a hard drive. The sleeve is a separate, removable component that can be placed on different hard drives, allowing the protection function to be separated from the storage device. This enables users to upgrade hard drives while retaining the same protective sleeve, resolving the contradiction between reliability through protection and adaptability through upgrade options.
Solution Approach 2:
The protective sleeve is designed with universal compatibility to fit multiple hard drive form factors and interfaces. By making the sleeve a standalone, interchangeable component rather than an integrated proprietary unit, it can be applied to various hard drives, providing the same shock and vibration protection across different devices while enabling upgrade flexibility.
2Reliability
If conventional ruggedized hard drives are used, then shock and vibration protection is provided, but installation and removal becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
By separating the protective function into a standalone sleeve component, the installation and removal operations are simplified. The sleeve can be independently attached to or removed from hard drives without affecting the hard drive itself, making the process easier compared to integrated proprietary solutions where the protection mechanism is built into the drive assembly.
Solution Approach 2:
The sleeve acts as an intermediary component between the user and the hard drive. It provides a user-friendly interface for installation and removal while maintaining the protective function. The sleeve can be easily gripped and manipulated during installation, serving as a mediator that simplifies the user interaction process.
3Reliability
If proprietary ruggedized hard drives are used, then protection is provided, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system is segmented into a generic protective sleeve and a standard hard drive, eliminating the need for complex proprietary customization. The sleeve is designed as a universal component that can be applied to standard hard drives without requiring custom manufacturing or integration, thereby reducing device complexity while maintaining protection functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The sleeve provides localized protection only where needed around the hard drive, rather than requiring the entire hard drive assembly to be custom-designed. This localized approach allows the use of standard hard drive components while adding protection only as a separate sleeve layer, reducing overall device complexity.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables the creation of a ruggedized hard drive that can be easily upgraded and installed in various devices, offering protection against shock and vibration while being easy to handle, even with gloves, and allowing for the use of any commercial off-the-shelf hard drive.
Implementation Method 1
at least one of the side portion, the bottom portion, the top portion, the front, or the back portion is made of an elastomeric material configured to absorb a portion of shock or vibration from being imparted on the hard drive
Data Source
AI summary
According to an embodiment of the disclosure, an apparatus includes a sleeve configured to surround a hard drive. The sleeve includes a side portion, a bottom portion, a top portion, a front portion, and a back portion. At least one of the side portion, the bottom portion, the top portion, the front, or the back portion is made of an elastomeric material configured to absorb a portion of shock or vibration from being imparted on the hard drive. Additionally, at least one of the side portion, the top portion, or the bottom portion is tapered.