Hard disk drive assembly with field-separable mechanical module and drive control

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9535615-B2
Application number	US-201514589907-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 5, 2015
Priority date	Mar 26, 2012
Publication date	Jan 3, 2017
Grant date	Jan 3, 2017

Abstract

A system for storing data includes a rack, one or more data storage drive assemblies coupled to the rack, and a data control module coupled to the rack. The data storage drive assemblies include one or more drive mechanical modules configured to store data and one or more drive control modules coupled to the drive mechanical modules. The drive control modules control mechanical operations in the drive mechanical modules. The drive mechanical modules and the associated drive control modules are separable from one another without removing the other module from the at least one data storage drive assembly.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system for storing data, comprising:
a rack;
one or more data storage drive assemblies coupled to the rack, at least one respective data storage drive assembly of the data storage drive assemblies comprising:
a structural element to which modules of the respective data storage drive assembly are mounted;
one or more drive mechanical modules mounted on the structural element and configured to store data; and
one or more drive control modules mounted on the structural element and physically separate from the one or more drive mechanical modules, wherein the one or more drive control modules are coupled to the one or more drive mechanical modules via the structural element, wherein at least a first drive control module, of the one or more drive control modules, is configured to control at least one mechanical operation in at least an associated first drive mechanical module, of the one or more drive mechanical modules, which is physically separate from the first drive control module;
wherein for the at least one respective data storage drive assembly:
at least one of the one or more drive control modules mounted on the structural element is separable from the data storage drive assembly without removing the one or more drive mechanical modules from the data storage drive assembly, or
at least one of the one or more drive mechanical modules mounted on the structural element is separable from the data storage drive assembly without removing the one or more drive control modules from the data storage drive assembly; and

one or more data control modules coupled to the rack, each of at least one of the data control modules configured to access data on at least one of the one or more drive mechanical modules.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein at least the first drive mechanical module and the physically separate associated first drive control module are configured to be decoupled from the structural element without removing at least one of: the first drive mechanical module or the first drive control module, from the at least one data storage drive assembly.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein at least the first drive mechanical module is field-replaceable without removing the associated first drive control module from the rack.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the structural element comprises: a chassis, a backplane, or one or more spacer rails.

5. A system for storing data, comprising:
a data storage drive assembly comprising:
a structural element to which modules of the data storage drive assembly are mounted;
one or more drive mechanical modules mounted on the structural element and configured to store data; and
one or more drive control modules mounted on the structural element and physically separate from the one or more drive mechanical modules, wherein the one or more drive control modules are coupled to the one or more drive mechanical modules via the structural element, wherein at least one drive control module, of the one or more drive control modules, is configured to control at least one mechanical operation in at least one drive mechanical module, of the one or more drive mechanical modules;

wherein:
at least one of the one or more drive control modules mounted on the structural element is separable from the data storage drive assembly without removing the one or more drive mechanical modules from the data storage drive assembly, or
at least one of the one or more drive mechanical modules mounted on the structural element is separable from the data storage drive assembly without removing the one or more drive control modules from the data storage drive assembly.

6. The system of claim 5 , comprising:
one or more data control modules, wherein each of the one or more data control modules is separate from the one or more drive control modules and is configured to control the one or more drive control modules and access data on at least one drive mechanical module, of the one or more drive mechanical modules.

7. The system of claim 5 , wherein the at least one drive mechanical module and the at least one drive control module are configured to be decoupled from the structural element without removing at least one module, of the at least one drive mechanical module or the at least one drive control module, from the system.

8. The system of claim 5 , wherein at least one module, of the one or more drive mechanical modules or the one or more drive control modules, is field-replaceable.

9. The system of claim 5 , wherein the structural element comprises a data storage drive chassis, wherein the at least one drive mechanical module and the at least one drive control module are separately mounted on the data storage drive chassis.

10. The system of claim 5 , wherein the structural element comprises a backplane, wherein:
the at least one drive mechanical module is mounted on the backplane, and
the at least one drive control module is mounted on the backplane.

11. The system of claim 5 , wherein the structural element comprises one or more spacer rails, and wherein the one or more drive control modules coupled to the one or more drive mechanical modules via the structural element are coupled to the one or more drive mechanical modules with the one or more spacer rails between at least one of the drive control modules and at least one of the drive mechanical modules.

12. The system of claim 11 , wherein the at least one drive mechanical module is configured to automatically electrically couple with the at least one drive control module when the at least one drive control module is coupled to the at least one drive mechanical module via the structural element.

13. The system of claim 5 , wherein controlling at least one mechanical operation in the at least one drive mechanical module comprises one or more of:
controlling operation of a spindle motor in the at least one drive mechanical module,
controlling a physical position of an actuator assembly arm in the at least one drive mechanical module, or
controlling a physical location of a read/write head in the at least one drive mechanical module.

14. A method of providing data storage, comprising:
coupling a drive control module to one or more drive mechanical modules of a data storage system via a structural element of the data storage system, such that the drive control module is physically separate from the one or more drive mechanical modules and such that the drive control module is separable from the data storage system without removing the one or more drive mechanical modules from the data storage system; and
controlling at least one mechanical operation in at least one drive mechanical module, of the one or more drive mechanical modules, with the drive control module.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein, the structural element comprises a chassis, a backplane, or one or more spacers.

16. The method of claim 14 , comprising:
accessing data on at least one drive mechanical module, of the one or more drive mechanical modules, with a data control module that is physically separate from the drive control module.

17. The method of claim 14 , wherein controlling at least one mechanical operation in at least one of the one or more drive mechanical modules with the drive control module comprises:
selecting the at least one drive mechanical module, of the one or more drive mechanical modules; and
controlling at least one mechanical operation in the selected at least one drive mechanical module with the drive control module.

18. The method of claim 14 , comp

Assignees

• Amazon Tech Inc

Inventors

• Sorenson Iii James Christopher
• Lazier Colin Laird
• Patiejunas Kestutis

Classifications

• G11B19/02

  Control of operating function, e.g. switching from recording to reproducing · CPC title

• G11B33/128 Primary

  of the plurality of recording/reproducing devices, e.g. disk drives, onto a chassis · CPC title

• G06F3/0617 Primary

  in relation to availability · CPC title

• G11B5/48

  Disposition or mounting of heads {or head supports} relative to record carriers {(mounting of head within housing G11B5/105); arrangements of heads, e.g. for scanning the record carrier to increase the relative speed (driving of both record carriers and head G11B15/18; guiding record carriers G11B15/60; head selecting circuits G11B15/12)} · CPC title

• G11B33/02

  Cabinets; Cases; Stands; Disposition of apparatus therein or thereon · CPC title