Flexible-mount electrical connection for hard drive vibration isolation
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Solution Overview
Problem
The increasing number of hard disk drives in storage systems leads to vibration interference, causing decreased performance and potential damage due to the transfer of vibrations between drives, which existing technologies fail to adequately address.
Innovation Solution
A vibration-isolating hard disk drive carrier system that includes a carrier body with isolation hangers and a flexible-mount electrical connection to reduce vibration transmission, featuring a design that couples to inherent features of the hard disk drives and uses drive dividers to support the drives in a vertical orientation, thereby isolating vibrations and preventing their transfer.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If multiple hard disk drives are placed in close proximity within a sled to increase storage capacity, then storage system capacity increases, but vibration transmission between drives causes decreased performance and potential damage
Solution Approach 1:
The electrical connection is segmented into multiple independent electrical pins rather than a solid rigid connector. This segmentation allows each pin to independently absorb and isolate vibrations, preventing vibration transmission from one hard disk drive to another while maintaining electrical connectivity across the sled.
Solution Approach 2:
The electrical pins serve as an intermediary element between the hard disk drives. Instead of direct rigid mechanical contact, the pins provide electrical connection while their flexible nature acts as a mediator that absorbs vibrational energy, preventing direct vibration transmission between adjacent drives.
2Reliability
If rigid electrical connectors are used to ensure stable electrical connection, then electrical connectivity is improved, but vibration transmission increases causing performance degradation
Solution Approach 1:
The electrical connection uses flexible electrical pins rather than rigid connectors. These pins maintain reliable electrical connectivity while their flexible nature allows them to bend and absorb vibrational forces, preventing vibration transmission while ensuring stable electrical contact between components.
Solution Approach 2:
The mechanical properties of the electrical connection are changed from rigid to flexible. By altering the stiffness parameter of the electrical connector, the system achieves both reliable electrical connection and vibration isolation, as the flexible pins can deform to absorb vibrational energy while maintaining electrical contact.
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
The solution effectively reduces vibration transmission between hard disk drives, enhancing their performance and preventing potential damage by isolating vibrations through the use of isolation hangers and flexible-mount electrical connections, allowing for secure and efficient operation of multiple drives in close proximity.
Implementation Method 1
the extended portion has a shape formed therein configured to reduce transmission of vibrations in the connector portion along each axis of a three-dimensional space to the attachment portion
Data Source
AI summary
Provided herein are systems and apparatus for reducing vibration interaction between hard drives. In one implementation, a flexible mount electrical connection comprises a mating connector configured to physically couple with a hard drive connector and a plurality of electrical pins having a connector portion positioned within the mating connector configured to electrically couple with hard drive connector pins positioned within the hard drive connector. Each electrical pin has an extended portion extending away from the mating connector. The extended portion has an attachment portion configured to electrically couple the respective electrical pin to a printed circuit board, and the extended portion has a shape formed therein configured to reduce transmission of vibrations in the connector portion along each axis of a three-dimensional space to the attachment portion.