U.S. patent application number 09/283931 was filed with the patent office on 2002-04-04 for integrated computer module with emi shielding plate.
Invention is credited to FRANK, CHARLES W. JR., HANAN, THOMAS D., SZEREMETA, WALLY.
Application Number | 20020039286 09/283931 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 23088189 |
Filed Date | 2002-04-04 |
United States Patent
Application |
20020039286 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
FRANK, CHARLES W. JR. ; et
al. |
April 4, 2002 |
INTEGRATED COMPUTER MODULE WITH EMI SHIELDING PLATE
Abstract
An integrated computer module having an EMI shielding plate
which doubles as a mechanical retainer for a disk drive within the
module and as an shield to insulate the disk drive's electronics
from electromagnetic interference (EMI) emanating from a main PCBA
located nearby. The module is adapted for removable insertion into
a docking bay within a host assembly, and upon such insertion for
connecting to a host connector and thereby controlling a display
device. The preferred module comprises an enclosure, a main PCBA in
the enclosure including a microprocessor generating EMI; a module
connector electrically connected to the main PCBA and supported at
the enclosure's back wall for connection to the host connector upon
insertion of the integrated module into the docking bay in the host
assembly; a disk drive including a casting and a controller PCBA
mounted on one side of the casting; a conductor assembly
electrically connecting the main PCBA to the controller PCBA; and
an intermediate plate located above the disk drive, between the
disk drive's controller PCBA and the main PCBA, and attached to the
enclosure to capture the disk drive in the enclosure and to
insulate the controller PCBA from EMI generated by the main
PCBA.
Inventors: |
FRANK, CHARLES W. JR.;
(IRVINE, CA) ; HANAN, THOMAS D.; (MISSION VIEJO,
CA) ; SZEREMETA, WALLY; (MISSION VIEJO, CA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
WESTERN DIGITAL CORP.
20511 LAKE FOREST DRIVE
C205 - INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY DEPARTMENT
LAKE FOREST
CA
92630
US
|
Family ID: |
23088189 |
Appl. No.: |
09/283931 |
Filed: |
April 1, 1999 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
361/818 ;
361/679.22; 361/679.32; 361/679.33; 361/679.4; 361/679.46; 361/799;
361/800; G9B/33.049 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G11B 33/1493 20130101;
G06F 1/16 20130101; G06F 1/182 20130101; G06F 1/187 20130101; G06F
1/184 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
361/818 ;
361/800; 361/799; 361/685 |
International
Class: |
H05K 009/00; H05K
007/14 |
Claims
We claim:
1. An integrated computer module adapted for removable insertion
into a docking bay within a host assembly, and upon such insertion
for connecting to a host connector and thereby controlling a
display device, the integrated computer module comprising: an
enclosure defined by a front wall, a back wall opposite the front
wall, a first side wall, a second side wall opposite the first side
wall, a floor wall and a ceiling wall; a main printed circuit board
assembly (main PCBA) located in the enclosure, the main PCBA
including a microprocessor and associated circuitry generating
electromagnetic interference (EMI); a module connector electrically
connected to the main PCBA and supported at the enclosure's back
wall for connection to the host connector upon insertion of the
integrated module into the docking bay in the host assembly; a disk
drive including a casting and a controller PCBA mounted on one side
of the casting, the controller PCBA including integrated circuits
that define a hard disk storage control subsystem that operates
with relatively low amplitude signals that are subject to
distortion from the EMI; a conductor assembly electrically
connecting the main PCBA to the controller PCBA; and an
intermediate plate including a central section, a front edge, a
back edge opposite the front edge, a first side edge, and a second
side edge opposite the first side edge, the intermediate plate
located between the disk drive's controller PCBA and the main PCBA
,and attached to the enclosure to capture the disk drive in the
enclosure and to insulate the controller PCBA from the EMI
generated by the main PCBA.
2. The integrated computer module of claim 1 wherein the main PCBA
and the disk drive are located in the enclosure in a stacked
arrangement with one another, the disk drive oriented such that its
controller PCBA is facing the main PCBA to reduce the length of the
conductor assembly and minimize signal degradation.
3. The integrated computer module of claim 1 wherein the enclosure
further comprises an intermediate wall between the first side wall
and the second side wall and wherein the intermediate plate's first
side edge is attached to the enclosure's first side wall and
wherein the intermediate plate's second side edge is attached to
the enclosure's intermediate wall.
4. The integrated computer module of claim 1 further comprising a
space between the enclosure's front wall and the front edge of the
Intermediate plate located between the main PCBA and the controller
PCBA, and wherein the conductor assembly electrically connecting
the main PCBA to the controller PCBA passes through the space.
5. The integrated computer module of claim 1 wherein the conductor
assembly is flexible.
6. The integrated computer module of claim 5 wherein the conductor
assembly is a ribbon cable.
7. The integrated computer module of claim 1 further comprising: a
pair of spaced slots in the enclosure's first side wall; and a pair
of spaced tabs at the first edge of the Intermediate plate, the
tabs providing a snap-in connection between the Intermediate plate
and the enclosure's first side wall
8. The integrated computer module of claim 1 wherein the enclosure
and the Intermediate plate are made of a conductive material.
9. The integrated computer module of claim 8 wherein the enclosure
and the intermediate plate are made of metal.
10. The integrated computer module of claim 8 wherein the enclosure
and Intermediate plate are grounded.
11. The integrated computer module of claim 10 further comprising:
means for mechanically supporting the main PCBA on the intermediate
plate; and means for grounding the main PCBA via the mechanical
supporting means.
12. The integrated computer module of claim 1 wherein the module
connector is card edge connector comprising a plurality of
conductive traces that are formed on the main PCBA.
13. The integrated computer module of claim 1 wherein the module
connector is a discrete plug and socket type connector that is
soldered to the main PCBA
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] The invention relates generally to integrated computer
modules and, more specifically, to an integrated computer module of
compact construction having an intermediate plate which captures a
magnetic disk drive in the module and protects the disk drive from
electromagnetic interference.
[0003] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0004] Today's personal computers (PC's) are usually sold in a
desktop configuration or a notebook configuration. Desktop PC's are
generally housed in a relatively large chassis containing a main
printed circuit board or "motherboard" and other components that
are incorporated into or connected to the motherboard. The
components may be located inside or outside of the chassis. Typical
internal components include a power supply, a central processing
unit (CPU), random access memory (RAM), a mass storage device such
as a magnetic disk drive, expansion cards connected to a bus on the
motherboard, and various peripherals mounted on "rails" in "bays"
within the chassis and electrically connected to the motherboard or
an associated expansion card by a ribbon cable or the like. Typical
expansion cards are a SCSI adapter, a sound adapter, and a network
adapter. Typical bay-mounted peripherals are a magnetic disk drive,
a floppy drive, a tape drive or a CD-ROM drive. Typical external
"peripherals" include user input devices such as a keyboard, a
mouse, a microphone, a joystick, a graphics tablet or a scanner)
and user output devices such as speakers a printer, and a video
display device (e.g. a CRT display or an LCD display). The video
adapter that controls the display, as with other adapters, may be
integrated into the motherboard or provided on a separate expansion
card.
[0005] The users of desktop PC's may be divided into two divergent
groups: (1) experienced users who understand the individual
components and tend to frequently upgrade their PC's by replacing
such components, and (2) new users who do not understand or even
want to understand the individual components. The latter group may
prefer to replace the entire PC, if they upgrade at all. With
respect to both groups, however, it has been observed that the need
or desire to upgrade occurs far sooner with respect to some
components than with respect to other components. In particular,
users more frequently upgrade the CPU, the RAM, the magnetic disk
drive, and the video adapter. These upgrades tend to provide more
capacity and more speed because of rapid technological advancements
on the part of manufacturers in response to ever-increasing demands
from ever more complicated and more graphics intensive software
applications and an associated increase in file sizes. Both
user-types less frequently need or desire to upgrade the monitor,
the speakers, the keyboard or the power supply, however, because
these latter components have withstood the test of time and employ
technologies that are less prone to obsolescence.
[0006] These inventors expect that the computer paradigm will move
from a large chassis full of individual components of different
manufacture toward a readily upgraded system consisting of two
primary components: (1) an integrated computer module that
compactly houses the frequently upgraded components (e.g. the CPU,
the memory, the disk drive, and the video adapter) and provides a
module connector for interfacing the module's electronics with
peripherals, and (2) a "host assembly" with a docking bay that
receives the module and provides a host connector that mates with
the module connector. The host assembly can comprise any "shell"
that includes the bay that receives the integrated computer module.
The docking bay may be in a host assembly that doubles as a
peripheral or in an intermediate assembly that is connected to
conventional peripherals. The host assembly, for example, may
function and appear generally like a conventional CRT display, save
for the addition of the docking bay. A CRT-like host assembly of
this nature would also provide a first connector for receiving
input from a keyboard and, in all likelihood, a second connector
for receiving input from a mouse. As another example, the host
assembly may appear like a conventional tower chassis that contains
a docking bay for receiving the module, and suitable electronics
(e.g. a PCB, cables, and so on) to interface the integrated
computer module to conventional expansion cards via an expansion
bus, and to conventional peripherals like a display, a keyboard,
and a mouse, via connector ports built-in to the host assembly or
carried by an expansion card.
[0007] There are a number challenges associated with packing
computer components and storage capability into a small integrated
computer module. One such challenge is attaching the magnetic disk
drive within the module in a secure, cost-effective manner. Another
challenge is making sure the analog circuitry associated with the
magnetic disk drive, which operates at low voltage levels and is
very sensitive to EMI, functions properly in the vicinity of the
microprocessor which operates at very high power and at very high
clock speeds.
[0008] Computer modules and associated bays have already been
proposed. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,463,742 that issued to
Kobayashi in 1995, assigned to Hitachi, the inventor discloses a
"personal processor module" (PPM) that fits within a notebook type
docking station or a desktop type docking station, or simply
attaches to a docking housing 6 that is cabled to a keyboard and a
monitor. (See FIG. 1). The '742 Patent discloses an embodiment in
FIGS. 10 and 11 where a magnetic disk drive and a PCB which carries
a microprocessor are situated in a stacked arrangement. The '742
Patent, however, does not show any particular structure for
mounting the magnetic disk drive in the PPM, nor does it teach or
suggest using an EMI shield between the magnetic disk drive and the
PCB.
[0009] In U.S. Pat. No. 5,550,710 that issued in 1996 to Rahamim et
al., also assigned to Hitachi, the inventors also disclose a PPM
wherein a disk drive and main PCB are stacked. The '710 Patent,
however, focuses on a particular cooling structure for a PPM, and
also does not disclose any particular structure for mounting the
magnetic disk drive in the PPM or for shielding the drive from EMI
emanating fom the main PCB.
[0010] There remains a need, therefore, for an integrated computer
module with a simple, rugged mechanism for securing the disk drive
in the module and for effectively protecting the analog electronics
associated with the disk drive from EMI generated by the
microprocessor and associated circuitry.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0011] In a first aspect, the invention may be regarded as an
integrated computer module adapted for removable insertion into a
docking bay within a host assembly, and upon such insertion for
connecting to a host connector and thereby controlling a display
device, the integrated computer module comprising: an enclosure
defined by a front wall, a back wall opposite the front wall, a
first side wall, a second side wall opposite the first guide wall,
a floor wall and a ceiling wall; a main printed circuit board
assembly (main PCBA) located in the enclosure, the main PCBA
including a microprocessor clocked at high frequency and generating
electromagnetic interference (EMI); a module connector electrically
connected to the main PCBA and supported at the enclosure's back
wall for connection to the host connector upon insertion of the
integrated module into the docking bay in the host assembly; a disk
drive including a casting and a controller PCBA mounted on one side
of the casting, the controller PCBA including integrated circuits
that define a hard disk storage control subsystem that operates
with relatively low amplitude signals that are subject to
distortion from EMI; a conductor assembly electrically connecting
the main PCBA to the controller PCBA; and an intermediate plate
including a central section, a front edge, a back edge opposite the
front edge, a first side edge, and a second side edge opposite the
first side edge, the intermediate plate located between the disk
drive's controller PCBA and the main PCBA and attached to the
enclosure to capture the disk drive in the enclosure and to protect
the controller PCBA from EMI generated by the main PCBA. In the
preferred embodiment, the main PCBA and the disk drive are located
in a stacked arrangement within the enclosure, with the disk
drive's controller PCBA facing the main PCBA to reduce the length
of the conductor assembly and minimize signal degradation
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0012] The just summarized invention may best be understood with
reference to the Figures of which:
[0013] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an integrated computer
module that may be used with a host assembly according to this
invention;
[0014] FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the integrated computer module
of FIG. 1;
[0015] FIG. 2A shows a partially assembled integrated computer
module with emphasis on the intermediate plate and its
interconnection to the tub;
[0016] FIG. 2B is an exploded view of the integrated computer
module of FIG. 2A;
[0017] FIG. 3 is a rear view of the integrated computer module of
FIG. 1;
[0018] FIG. 4 is a section view of FIG. 3 taken along section lines
4-4;
[0019] FIG. 5 is a rear perspective view of a host assembly that
contains a CRT display and is configured to appear like a
conventional CRT monitor;
[0020] FIG. 6 is a front perspective view of a host assembly
configured to appear like a conventional tower chassis that may be
connected to a monitor, a keyboard, and a mouse (not shown);
[0021] FIG. 7 is a generalize cutaway view of a docking bay
according to this invention, suitable for use in a host assembly
like those illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6 and configured to receive,
electrically mate with, and retain an integrated computer module
like the one shown in FIG. 1;
[0022] FIG. 7A is a cutaway plan view of the integrated computer
module partially inserted into a host assembly to illustrate
engagement with the projecting member;
[0023] FIG. 8 is an elevational view of an adapter PCB for
transforming a standard 51/4" peripheral bay of a conventional
chassis into a docking bay according to this invention;
[0024] FIG. 9 is a side view of the adapter PCB of FIG. 8 and an
associated adapter sleeve that is externally sized for insertion
into a standard 51/4" drive bay and is internally sized for
receiving an integrated computer module like the one shown in FIG.
1;
[0025] FIG. 10 is a top view of the adapter sleeve of FIG. 9;
[0026] FIG. 11 is a rear view of the adapter sleeve of FIG. 9;
and
[0027] FIG. 12 is a side view of a preferred bay configuration
(shown here in connection with an adapter sleeve) wherein the host
connector is incorporated into the edge of a main host PCB;
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
A. The Integrated Computer Module
[0028] FIG. 1 shows an integrated computer module (ICM) 100 that
may be used in a host assembly having a docking bay according to
this invention. From a structural point of view, the ICM 100
generally comprises a metal enclosure (not shown in FIG. 1, but see
FIG. 2) that may be aesthetically surrounded by a case comprising,
for example, a sleeve 180 and an associated bezel or faceplate 181.
The preferred faceplate 181 includes cooling apertures 186 and a
handle 182 for carrying the ICM 100 and for pushing or pulling the
ICM 100 into or out of a docking bay (not shown in FIG. 1). The
preferred sleeve 180 includes at least one key feature such as
chamfered edge 189 that mates with a corresponding key feature in
the docking bay. In the example shown, key feature 189 comprises a
chamfered edge along one corner of the substantially rectangular
periphery of the sleeve 180 which mates with a corresponding
chamfered corner 389 (shown in FIGS. 5,6) of the docking bay. The
sleeve 180 and faceplate 181 are preferably injection molded
components made of any suitable material such as ABS, PVC, or
engineered plastics.
[0029] The preferred ICM 100 of FIG. 1 also includes an aperture
184 in the faceplate 181 for exposing an optional PCI Mezzanine
(PCM) card 160 that provides additional functionality such as an
ethernet port, a SCSI port, or other desired function. A blank PCM
cover plate (not shown) may be located in the aperture 184 in the
absence of a PCM card 160.
[0030] FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the ICM 100 of FIG. 1, showing
the presently preferred construction in more detail. The ICM 100 is
designed so that it can be assembled by hand or more efficiently,
and more cost effectively assembled using automated assembly
techniques. In particular, the components of the preferred ICM 100
are generally assembled, from above, into an open-top case or "tub"
110. The preferred ICM 100, in other words, is assembled in a
successively stacked, layer by layer arrangement. The tub 110 and
all of the components therein are ultimately covered with a ceiling
wall 119 and then, if appropriate for the desired application,
enclosed in the sleeve 180 and faceplate 181 that form the outer
case shown in FIG. 1. The preferred ceiling wall 119 makes a
snap-on connection to the tub 110 to speed assembly and eliminate
the necessity for any threaded fasteners or the like.
[0031] The tub 110 has a floor wall 111, a front wall 112, back
wall 113 opposite the front wall, a first side wall 114, and a
second side wall 115 opposite the first side wall. In order to
define a space sized for receiving a disk drive 130, an
intermediate wall 116 is also provided between the first side wall
114 and the second side wall 115. The tub 100 includes front and
rear cooling apertures indicated at 107, 109 in the front and back
walls respectively for passage of cooling air. The tub 110 is
designed to minimize leakage of electromagnetic interference (EMI)
in accordance with FCC requirements. Accordingly, the tub 110 and
associated ceiling wall 119 are metallic and the cooling apertures
107, 109 are sized and configured to meet the desired EMI
requirements at the frequencies of interest.
[0032] The ICM's internal components generally include a shock
mount system 120, a disk drive 130 that is supported in the shock
mount system 120 and may have a controller PCBA 131 mounted on one
side thereof, an intermediate plate 140, a main PCBA 150, and an
optional PCM expansion card 160 as mentioned above. Preferably, the
main PCBA 150 includes a microprocessor such as an Intel Pentium
(not shown) located beneath a suitable heat sink 153, first and
second memory module connectors 156 for holding memory modules 157
of a suitable type and desired capacity (e.g. Single Inline Memory
Modules, or Dual Inline Memory Modules), and a module connector 154
for interfacing the overall ICM 100 to a host assembly.
Collectively, the components mounted on the main PCBA 150 comprise
substantially all the circuits needed for a computing subsystem.
The ICM 100 further includes a locking mechanism 190 that engages a
projecting member (discussed below) in the docking bay. The
preferred locking mechanism 190 mechanically snaps into a corner of
the tub 110 between an upper slot 118 and a lower slot (not
shown).
[0033] In a final assembly process, the tub 110 and its interior
components are encased in the sleeve 180 and the associated
faceplate 181. As the faceplate 181 includes a handle 182 for
carrying the entire ICM, it is important that the faceplate 181
have a secure, mechanical connection to the tub 110. The presently
preferred construction for such a positive, mechanical connection
comprises two pairs of backwardly-extending fingers 187 having
inwardly extending detents (not shown), one pair on each side of
the faceplate 181, and two corresponding pairs of slots 117 on the
first and second side walls 114, 115 of the tub 110. As suggested
by FIG. 2, the faceplate 181 is initially pressed onto the tub 110
until the detents on its fingers 187 engage the slots 117. Next,
the tub 110 is inserted into the sleeve 180, the sleeve 180 thereby
encasing the tub 110 and the fingers 187 so that they cannot splay
outward and disengage from the slots 117.
[0034] FIG. 3 shows a rear view of a fully assembled ICM 100, the
side that interfaces with a host assembly having a docking bay as
described further below. As shown, substantially all of the back
wall 113 is exposed at a rear end of the sleeve 180 to provide
access to the module connector 154, the cooling apertures 109, and
a module aperture 80.
[0035] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the preferred module
aperture 80 in FIG. 3. In particular, FIG. 4 shows that the
preferred module aperture 80 has radius edges 81 having a depth "D"
that is greater than a width "W" of an annular groove 282 contained
in a projecting member 280. We make "D" greater than "W" to ensure
that the module aperture 80 does not accidentally hang up on the
projecting member 280 as described more fully below in connection
with the locking mechanism and the host assembly. The preferred
module aperture 80 is formed by stamping or punching through the
back wall 113.
[0036] Referring once more to FIG. 2, the preferred shock mount
system 120 comprises four corner pieces 126 and four buttons 146
that are each formed from an elastomeric material, the preferred
material being Sorbathane sold by Sorbathane, Inc. The corner
pieces 126 each have a base and two intersecting, substantially
perpendicular walls (not separately numbered) extending upwardly
from the base (not separately numbered). During assembly, the
corner pieces 126 are simply located with their bases on the floor
wall 111 of the tub 110, and with their upstanding walls in the
corners defined by the front wall 112, the back wall 113, the first
side wall 114, and the intermediate wall 116. The upstanding walls
of the corner pieces 126 are sized to provide a firm press fit
relationship when compressed between the disk drive 130 and the
surrounding walls 112, 113, 114, 116. The four button 146 are
placed in wells (not shown) formed in the intermediate plate 140 to
capture an opposite side of the disk drive 130 as described further
below.
[0037] The presently preferred shock mounting system 120 requires
us to orient the disk drive 130 with its controller board 131
facing upward, i.e. in a "board-up" orientation. The board-up
orientation is preferred because it places the controller board 131
as close as possible to the main PCBA 150, thereby allowing a short
cable with minimal signal degradation. A short cable is not
especially important in the context of an IDE connection to the
disk drive. Because of ever increasing CPU power, however, the CPU
may control the disk drive via an ordinary expansion bus such as
the PCI bus. A short cable is critical in the context of a PCI
connection to a disk drive. The board-up orientation is also
preferred because the shock mounts 126 will not block access to the
connectors 132 that are on the controller board 131. It is also
desirable to mount the disk drive 130 board-up because the other
side of the disk drive presents a clean, solid volume for contact
with the shock mount system 120.
[0038] The disk drive 130, therefore, is oriented board side up and
then pressed down onto and in between the four corner pieces. Next,
the intermediate plate 140 is snapped into the tub 110, between the
first side wall 114 and an intermediate wall 116, to firmly hold
the disk drive 130 downward on the corner pieces 126. Note that the
controller board 131 is recessed into the disk drive's aluminum
casting 132, leaving a pair of elongated casting rails 133
extending up above the board 131. The upper shock mounts
(elastomeric buttons) 146 are bonded to the intermediate plate 140.
The buttons 146 press down against the elongated rails 133 of the
casting 132. Consequently, the buttons 146 isolate the intermediate
plate 140 from the rails 133, thereby enabling the shock mount
system 120 to mechanically couple the disk drive 130 to the tub 110
via a shock-isolating, elastomeric interface.
[0039] The intermediate plate 140 also protects the disk drive's
controller board 131 from electromagnetic interference (EMI)
emanating from the main PCBA 150. The main PCBA 150 transmits
significant amounts of RF energy over a wide frequency spectrum
because it has synchronously clocked components that operate at
relatively high power levels (e.g. greater than 5 watts) and at a
plurality of relatively high clock frequencies (e.g. 66 MHz, 100
MHz, 500 MHz, and so on). The disk drive's controller PCBA 131, on
the other hand, contains circuitry that operates at relatively low
millivolt levels that are associated with reading and writing data
to and from the disk drive 130. The intermediate plate 140,
therefore, beneficially functions as an EMI shield in addition to
securing the disk drive 130 in the tub 110. The preferred plate 140
is made of the same metallic material as the remainder of the tub
110 so that it represents an intermediate ground plane that tends
to arrest conducted and radiated RF energy.
[0040] FIG. 2A shows the intermediate plate 140 and its
interconnection to the tub 110 in more detail. As shown therein,
the intermediate plate 140 has a central section, a front edge, a
back edge opposite the front edge, a first side edge, and a second
side edge opposite the first side edge. The preferred intermediate
plate 140 has a pair of tabs 141 on its first side edge which
interface with a corresponding pair of slots (not numbered) in the
first side wall 114. The second side of the plate includes a pair
of downwardly-extending fingers 143 that mate with one side of the
intermediate wall 116 and an elongated lip 144 that mates with an
opposite side of the intermediate wall 116. The
downwardly-extending fingers 143 have detents (see FIG. 2B) which
mate with slots (not shown) in the intermediate wall 116.
[0041] FIG. 2B is an exploded view of FIG. 2A showing the preferred
interconnection between the intermediate plate 140 and the disk
drive 130 in the tub 110. As shown, the intermediate plate 140 does
not make direct contact with the disk drive 130. Instead, four
upper shock mounts 146 are bonded or otherwise attached to
corresponding wells 145 in the intermediate plate 140. The disk
drive 130, therefore, is encased and elastomerically supported
between the tub 110 and the intermediate plate 140 by the lower
shock mounts 126 (see FIG. 2) and the upper shock mounts 146.
[0042] As best shown in FIG. 2, the main PCBA 150 is secured in the
tub 110 above the intermediate plate 140. In the presently
preferred embodiment, the main PCBA 150 is secured with two screws
(not shown) that pass downward through two apertures--a central
aperture 155 and a side aperture 159. The central screw mates with
a threaded aperture in the top of a standoff (not shown) that has a
threaded fastener that extends from its bottom and is screwed into
a threaded boss 147 (see FIG. 2B) in the center of the intermediate
plate 140. The side screw mates with a threaded aperture in the top
of a similar standoff (also not shown) that screws into a threaded
aperture located at one end of a shelf bracket (not shown) that is
welded to the second side wall 115 of the tub 110. The other end of
the preferred shelf bracket has outwardly extending, vertically
spaced fingers (not shown) that surround the top and bottom of the
main PCBA 150 and thereby secure it at a third location. It is
important, of course, to ground the main PCBA 150. The preferred
standoffs are conductive and make contact with corresponding traces
that surround the main PCBA's central and side apertures to provide
such grounding.
[0043] The main PCBA 150 may be divided into two upper portions and
two lower portions. The upper left half of the main PCBA 150
carries the CPU and its heat sink 153. The upper right half carries
a standard pair of PCM connectors 158 for interfacing the PCBA 150
with any PCM expansion card 160 that may be present. The majority
left portion of the lower side of the main PCBA 150 rests closely
against the intermediate plate 140 via support tabs 142 located to
either side thereof and via a conductive standoff located near the
plate's center (not shown). This portion of the PCBA's underside
may carry some low-profile components, but it does not have any
extending components due to its close proximity to the intermediate
plate 140. The minority right portion of the main PCBA's underside,
however, carries a pair of memory sockets 156 that support a pair
of memory modules 157 which extend downwardly therefrom next to the
disk drive 130, in-between the intermediate wall 116 and the second
side wall 115. An aperture (not shown) and associated cover plate
158 are provided on the tub's floor wall 111 and aligned with the
memory modules 157 to provide access to the modules after the ICM
100 has been assembled.
[0044] It is important to provide highly efficient cooling because
of the high power dissipation and component density in the
relatively low volume of the ICM 100. Modern CPUs dissipate a
significant amount of heat. For example, an Intel Pentium III
processor operating at 500 MHz with a 512K L2 cache dissipates
about 28 watts. The safe dissipation of this much heat requires a
large, highly efficient heat sink 153, the preferred heat sink
being fabricated from aluminum because aluminum offers a good
compromise between heat dissipation and cost. The main PCBA 150 is
designed so that the CPU and its relatively large heat sink 153
extend upwardly from a topside of the PCBA 150 into an "air tunnel"
(not numbered) located between the front and rear cooling apertures
107, 109 in the front and back walls. The ICM's built-in cooling
fan 170 moves air through the air tunnel, over the fins of the heat
sink 153, with velocity of greater than 300 linear feet per minute
(LFM). The cooling fan 170 is preferably located next to the front
wall 112 of the tub 110, next to the front cooling apertures 107,
in order to save some space, but the fan 170 could be located on
the opposite side of the tub 110 if desired.
B. The Host Assembly--Generally
[0045] FIGS. 5 and 6 show two host assemblies 200A, 200B. Both
assemblies contain a power supply (not shown) for providing power
to the host assembly and to the ICM 100 inserted therein. The first
preferred host assembly 200A of FIG. 5 contains a CRT display and
is configured to appear like a conventional CRT monitor 201A. The
second preferred host assembly 200B of FIG. 6 is configured to
appear like a conventional full-height tower chassis 201B that has
a conventional disk drive bay 320 and may be connected to a
display, a keyboard, and a mouse (not shown). Other configurations
are possible. These two are merely illustrative examples.
[0046] The preferred host assembly provides a docking bay that
defines a cavity for receiving an ICM 100. It is possible, however,
to provide a docking module (not shown) that releasably connects an
ICM 100 to other devices without providing a cavity 310 per se.
[0047] The FIG. 5 host assembly 200A uses a "built-in" docking bay
300 and associated cavity 310 having keying feature 389 for mating
with module keying feature 189. In operation, the user inserts the
ICM 100 of FIG. 1 into the cavity 310 until the ICM's module
connector 154 (see FIG. 3) mates with a host connector 254 (shown
in FIG. 7) at the rear of the cavity 310.
[0048] The FIG. 6 host assembly 200B, on the other hand, uses a
"retrofit" docking bay adapter 400 that fits in a standard disk
drive bay 320 and defines a cavity 410 having a host connector (not
shown) and the keying feature 389 for receiving an ICM 100. The
cavity 410 in the retrofit adapter 400 also provides a host
connector 254 (shown in FIG. 7) such that the user may insert the
ICM 100 into the cavity 410.
C. The Host Assembly--Bay Details
[0049] FIG. 7 is a generalize cutaway view of a built-in docking
bay 300 or retrofit adapter 400 according to this invention, the
docking bay suitable for use in a host assembly 200A, 200B like
those illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6 and configured to receive,
electrically mate with, and retain an ICM 100 like the one shown in
FIG. 1.
[0050] The docking bay has a cavity 310 defined by a continuous
periphery, preferably rectangular, extending from a front opening
(not separately numbered) to a back end 313 opposite the front
opening. The cavity 310 may be regarded as having an insertion axis
(arrow) that is perpendicular to the periphery. Two items of
interest are located at the back end 313 of the cavity 310: a host
connector 254 for mating with the module connector 154 and a
projecting member 280 for providing a data security function and an
alignment function.
[0051] The host connector 254 is located a particular XY
(horizontal and vertical coordinate reference) connector location
at the back end 313 of the cavity 310 so that it mates with the
ICM's module connector 154 located at the same XY connector
location when the ICM 100 is inserted into the cavity 310. The host
connector 254 may be centered on the back end 313 of the cavity,
but the XY connector location is preferably asymmetric so that, in
the absence of a key feature 189, mating only occurs if the ICM 100
is in the "correct" orientation.
[0052] The projecting member 280 extends into the cavity 310 in
parallel with the insertion axis so that it may be received in a
corresponding aperture 80 in the rear wall 113 of the ICM 100. The
projecting member 280 may be located at an asymmetric XY location
at the back end 313 of the cavity to prevent the user from fully
inserting an unkeyed ICM 100 into the cavity 310 in the wrong
orientation. In either case, the preferred projecting member 280 is
located at the lower right corner of the cavity's back end 313 so
that the ICM 100 may conveniently receive it near the ICM's second
side 115 (see FIG. 2). Other locations are possible.
[0053] If the ICM 100 and docking bay 300, 400 are keyed, then the
projecting member 280 will always mate with the aperture 80 in the
rear wall 113 of the ICM 100. In this preferred embodiment, the
projecting member 280 provides a guiding function and a locking
function, but it does not impact the ICM 100 because misalignment
is not possible.
[0054] In the case of an un-keyed ICM 100, however, alignment is
not assured. If the un-keyed ICM 100 is inserted in the correct
orientation where the connectors 154, 254 are aligned for mating,
then the projecting member 280 is simply received by the module
aperture 80 in the rear wall 113 of the ICM's tub 110 (see FIG. 2).
If the un-keyed ICM 100 is inserted upside down, however, then a
solid portion of the rear wall 113 will contact the projecting
member 280 before the ICM's rear wall 113 contacts and potentially
damages the host connector 254 and before the cavity's rear end 313
contacts and potentially damages the module connector 154.
[0055] FIG. 7A shows the ICM 100 partially inserted into the
docking bay 300, 400. Note that the projecting member 280 extends
beyond position "A," i.e beyond the farthest most point of the host
connector 254. This length ensures that the projecting member 280
contacts the ICM's rear wall 113 before the host connector 254
contacts the rear wall 113 if the ICM is inserted upside down.
[0056] The projecting member 280 also provides an alignment
function that is best understood with reference to FIGS. 7 and 7A.
As shown, the preferred projecting member 280 has an annular taper
284 at its tip that slidably mates with the radius edge 81 of the
module aperture 80. The radius edge 81 essentially defines an
annular beveled recess that guides the module aperture 80 onto the
projecting member 280, and thereby further aligns the overall ICM
100 for mating the module connector 154 to the host connector 254.
The projecting member 280 must extend beyond position "A," however,
if it also to provide such an alignment function in cooperation
with the module aperture 80. As shown, in fact, the preferred
projecting member 280 extends beyond reference position "A" to a
farther reference position "B" to ensure that the module aperture
80 envelopes the projecting member 280 before the module connector
154 begins to mate with the host connector 254. A benefit of this
additional length is that ICM 100 contacts the projecting member
280 well before the position that the ICM 100 ordinarily sits when
mounted in the bay. Accordingly, the user is given very obvious
feedback, both tactile and visual, that the ICM 100 is not
corrected situated.
[0057] Suitably, the preferred connectors 154, 254 themselves
include further complementary alignment features to ensure that a
truly "blind" insertion is possible. A wide variety of cooperating
connector styles may be used, including but not limited to, pin and
socket types, card edge types, and spring contact types.
[0058] Although not shown, the inventors contemplate an alternative
embodiment of the ICM 100 that is secured to a host assembly in a
semi-permanent arrangement. For cost reasons, the semi-permanent
embodiment would omit the sleeve 180 and associated faceplate 181
and would replace the blind mating connector 154 with a more cost
effective PCBA edge connector having conductive fingers made plated
with minimal amounts of gold.
[0059] FIGS. 7 and 7A also show that the projecting member 280
provides a data integrity feature in connection with the locking
mechanism 190 contained inside of the ICM 100. The projecting
member 280, in particular, includes a retention notch 282 located
on the side thereof. The preferred retention notch 282 is provided
in the form of an annular groove 282 that encircles the entire
projecting member 280 and the preferred locking mechanism 190
includes a moveable pawl 194 that locks the ICM 100 into the
docking bay 300, 400 by engaging the projecting member's annular
groove 292.
[0060] The preferred projecting member 280 is made of a conductive
material and is grounded so that it may serve as a means for
managing ESD. It is generally desirable to discharge electrostatic
energy through a resistance to reduce the magnitude of an
associated current spike. Accordingly, the projecting member 280
itself may be comprised of a moderately conductive material such as
carbon impregnated plastic or the projecting member 280 may be made
of a highly conductive material such as metal and connected to
ground through a discharge resistor as shown in FIG. 7A. In either
case, the desired resistance is about 1-10 megohms.
[0061] FIGS. 8-11 show a presently preferred construction for a
"retrofit" docking bay adapter 400 as might be used in the standard
drive bay 230 in the host assembly 200B of FIG. 6. As shown, the
retrofit adapter 400 comprises an adapter sleeve 420 and an adapter
PCB 430 that is mounted to a back end of the adapter sleeve. The
adapter sleeve 420 includes a suitable means for mounting to a
standard drive bay 320 such as, for example, a plurality of
threaded mounting holes 421 that are sized and spaced to interface
with screws and corresponding through holes 321 (see FIG. 6) in a
standard 51/4" drive bay 320. The preferred adapter sleeve 420 is
formed of injection molded plastic. It includes a number of
openings 425, therefore, to reduce the required amount of plastic
material.
[0062] The adapter PCB 430, shown from the rear in FIG. 8 and from
the side in FIG. 9, carries the host connector 254, the projecting
member 280, and suitable circuitry 434 for interfacing the adapter
PCB 430 to other components in the host adapter.
[0063] FIG. 12 is a side view of a preferred structure for
supporting the host connector 254. Here, instead of being supported
on a separate PCB 430 as in FIGS. 8 and 9, the host connector 254
is incorporated into the edge of a main host PCB 250 in order to
simply the construction and reduce costs. FIG. 12 shows such
structure in connection with an adapter sleeve 400, but is probably
more applicable for use with a "custom" built-in docking bay 300 as
used in a host assembly 200A like that shown in FIG. 5, where more
control can be exercised over the construction of the main host PCB
250 contained in the host assembly 200A.
* * * * *