Hard Disk Drive Housing Seals for Fastening-Point Air Ingress
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing hard disk drive devices face challenges in maintaining high cleanliness and sealability, particularly at the fastening portions within the housing where gaps allow external air to enter the internal space.
Innovation Solution
The device incorporates a base plate with female screw parts, a cover with through holes and recesses, and annular sealing members to enhance sealability, including first and third sealing members to seal gaps between the cover and fastening structures, and a second sealing member to cushion the first sealing member during fastening.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a gasket is disposed between the base plate and the cover, then the sealability of the housing is improved, but the sealability at the fastening portions (shaft of spindle motor, pivot post) remains insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the sealing function into multiple segments: a gasket for the main housing seal, and additional sealing members specifically for the fastening portions (shaft and pivot post). This segmentation allows each sealing component to address specific leakage points, ensuring comprehensive sealing throughout the housing structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces sealing members as intermediary components between the fastening portions and the housing structures. These sealing members act as mediators that prevent direct contact between external air and the internal clean space, blocking the harmful effect of air ingress at critical fastening points.
2Reliability
If multiple sealing members are added to seal all fastening portions, then the sealability is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent designs sealing members that serve multiple functions: they seal gaps between fastening portions and housing structures, accommodate manufacturing tolerances, and maintain the cleanliness of the internal space. This multi-functionality reduces the need for additional specialized components, thereby limiting the increase in device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs flexible sealing members (such as rubber or elastomeric materials) that can deform to fit various gap configurations at different fastening portions. This flexibility allows a single type of sealing member design to be applied across multiple locations, simplifying the overall sealing system while maintaining effective sealability.
Data Source
AI summary
A hard disk drive device includes: a base plate including a bottom surface part and a side wall part extending in a direction orthogonal to the bottom surface part along an edge part of an entire periphery of the bottom surface part; a structure provided more inside than the side wall part and including a female screw part; a cover having a plate shape, fixed to the base plate such that a back surface faces the bottom surface part, and including a through hole at a position facing the structure; a screw inserted into the through hole and including a male screw part fitted with the female screw part; and a first sealing member disposed at least one of between the structure and the cover and between the cover and the fastening body, and formed in an annular shape.