U.S. patent application number 15/970758 was filed with the patent office on 2019-11-07 for helium-filled storage container.
The applicant listed for this patent is Seagate Technology LLC. Invention is credited to Xiong Liu, YiChao Ma, Christopher M. Woldemar, Li Hong Zhang.
Application Number | 20190341080 15/970758 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 68384014 |
Filed Date | 2019-11-07 |
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United States Patent
Application |
20190341080 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Woldemar; Christopher M. ;
et al. |
November 7, 2019 |
HELIUM-FILLED STORAGE CONTAINER
Abstract
A storage container includes a base housing member coupled to an
inner cover and including an inner cavity. The storage container
further includes an outer cover coupled to the base housing member
and covering the inner cover. A rack assembly includes a plurality
of storage devices and is mounted within the inner cavity.
Inventors: |
Woldemar; Christopher M.;
(Singapore, SG) ; Ma; YiChao; (Singapore, SG)
; Liu; Xiong; (Singapore, SG) ; Zhang; Li
Hong; (Singapore, SG) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Seagate Technology LLC |
Cupertino |
CA |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
68384014 |
Appl. No.: |
15/970758 |
Filed: |
May 3, 2018 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G11B 33/148 20130101;
G11B 33/022 20130101; G11B 33/02 20130101; G11B 33/126 20130101;
G11B 33/1406 20130101 |
International
Class: |
G11B 33/14 20060101
G11B033/14; G11B 33/12 20060101 G11B033/12; G11B 33/02 20060101
G11B033/02 |
Claims
1. A storage container comprising: a base housing member coupled to
an inner cover to create an inner cavity, which is at least
partially filled with helium; an outer cover coupled to the base
housing member and covering the inner cover; and a rack assembly
including a plurality of storage devices and mounted within the
inner cavity.
2. The storage container of claim 1, wherein the rack assembly
includes a first sidewall and a second sidewall, wherein the
storage devices are mounted between the first sidewall and the
second sidewall.
3. The storage container of claim 2, wherein the rack assembly
includes a plurality of plates mounted between the first sidewall
and the second sidewall.
4. (canceled)
5. The storage container of claim 2, wherein a face of one of the
first and the second sidewalls is directly coupled to the base
housing member.
6. The storage container of claim 1, wherein the base housing
member includes a plurality of sets of heat sinks.
7. The storage container of claim 6, further comprising: means for
transferring heat generated by the plurality of storage devices
from the plurality of storage devices to the plurality of sets of
heat sinks.
8. The storage container of claim 1, wherein the inner cover
includes an opening, the storage container further comprising: a
sealing member positioned between the inner cover and the outer
cover adjacent the opening.
9. The storage container of claim 8, wherein the sealing member
comprises nitrile, fluorocarbons, an ethylene propylene diene
monomer, a polyvinyl chloride, or a perfluoroelastomer.
10. The storage container of claim 1, wherein the base housing
member includes a wall with a plurality of openings, the storage
container further comprising: a plurality of electrical connectors,
each electrical connector covering a respective opening of the
plurality of openings, the plurality of storage devices being
electrically coupled to the plurality of electrical connectors.
11. The storage container of claim 10, wherein the plurality of
electrical connectors are low-temperature co-fired ceramic
connectors.
12. The storage container of claim 10, wherein each of the
plurality of electrical connectors includes a plurality of
conductive paths.
13. The storage container of claim 10, wherein some of the
plurality of conductive paths are communicatively coupled to
multiple of the plurality of storage devices.
14. The storage container of claim 10, wherein some of the
plurality of conductive paths are communicatively coupled to only
one of the plurality of storage devices.
15. The storage container of claim 10, wherein each of the
electrical connectors is communicatively coupled to two of the
plurality of storage devices.
16. The storage container of claim 10, wherein the number of
electrical connectors positioned within the wall of the base
housing member is less than the number of storage devices
positioned within the inner cavity.
17. The storage container of claim 10, further comprising: means
for electrically coupling the storage devices to a host device.
18. A storage container comprising: a base housing member coupled
to an inner cover and including an inner cavity that is at least
partially filled with helium, the inner cover including an opening
for filling and refilling the inner cavity with helium; an outer
cover coupled to the base housing member and covering the inner
cover; a sealing member positioned between the inner cover and the
outer cover adjacent the opening and configured to mitigate helium
leakage through the opening; and a rack assembly including a
plurality of storage devices and mounted within the inner
cavity.
19. The storage container of claim 18, further comprising: a seal
adhered to the inner cover and covering the opening.
20. The storage container of claim 18, wherein the sealing member
comprises nitrile, fluorocarbons, an ethylene propylene diene
monomer, a polyvinyl chloride, or a perfluoroelastomer.
21. The storage container of claim 1, wherein the outer cover and
the inner cover are positioned with a space therebetween.
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] Certain embodiments of the present disclosure relate to
assemblies and methods involving helium-filled storage
containers--including various approaches for sealing the storage
containers, thermal management for the storage containers, and
electrically connecting components within and outside of the
storage containers.
BACKGROUND
[0002] A hard disk drive typically includes a housing that forms an
internal environment. Sealing and filling the internal environment
with gases other than air can enhance performance of the hard disk
drive. For example, low-density inert gases such as helium can
reduce the aerodynamic drag between magnetic recording media and
associated read/write heads compared to operating in air. This
reduced aerodynamic drag results in reduced power usage for the
spindle motor. A helium-filled hard disk drive thus uses less power
than a comparable hard disk drive that operates in an air
environment.
SUMMARY
[0003] In certain embodiments, a storage container includes a base
housing member coupled to an inner cover and including an inner
cavity. The storage container further includes an outer cover
coupled to the base housing member and covering the inner cover. A
rack assembly includes a plurality of storage devices and is
mounted within the inner cavity.
[0004] In certain embodiments, a storage container includes a
housing including a wall with a plurality of openings, a plurality
of hard disk drives positioned within the housing, and a plurality
of electrical connectors. Each electrical connector covers a
respective opening of the plurality of openings, and each of the
plurality of hard disk drives is electrically coupled to the
plurality of electrical connectors.
[0005] In certain embodiments, a storage container includes a base
housing member coupled to an inner cover and including an inner
cavity that is at least partially filled with helium. The inner
cover includes an opening for filling and refilling the inner
cavity with helium. An outer cover is coupled to the base housing
member and covers the inner cover. A sealing member is positioned
between the inner cover and the outer cover adjacent the opening
and is configured to mitigate helium leakage through the opening. A
rack assembly includes a plurality of storage devices and is
mounted within the inner cavity.
[0006] While multiple embodiments are disclosed, still other
embodiments of the present invention will become apparent to those
skilled in the art from the following detailed description, which
shows and describes illustrative embodiments of the invention.
Accordingly, the drawings and detailed description are to be
regarded as illustrative in nature and not restrictive.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0007] FIG. 1 shows an exploded view of a storage container, in
accordance with certain embodiments of the present disclosure.
[0008] FIG. 2 shows a rack assembly to be used as part of the
storage container of FIG. 1, in accordance with certain embodiments
of the present disclosure.
[0009] FIG. 3 shows a partial, cut-away view of the rack assembly
of FIG. 2, detailing coupling between a sidewall and a storage
device, in accordance with certain embodiments of the present
disclosure.
[0010] FIG. 4 shows a partial, cut-away view of a storage
container, in accordance with certain embodiments of the present
disclosure.
[0011] FIG. 5 shows a perspective view of the storage container of
FIG. 4, in accordance with certain embodiments of the present
disclosure.
[0012] FIG. 6 shows a partial, cut-away view of the storage
container of FIG. 1, in accordance with certain embodiments of the
present disclosure.
[0013] FIG. 7 shows a schematic, cut-away view of an electrical
connector, in accordance with certain embodiments of the present
disclosure.
[0014] FIG. 8 shows a schematic, perspective view of an electrical
interface, in accordance with certain embodiments of the present
disclosure.
[0015] FIG. 9 shows a partial, cut-away view of the storage
container of FIG. 1, in accordance with certain embodiments of the
present disclosure.
[0016] While the disclosure is amenable to various modifications
and alternative forms, specific embodiments have been shown by way
of example in the drawings and are described in detail below. The
intention, however, is not to limit the disclosure to the
particular embodiments described but instead is intended to cover
all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the
scope of the appended claims.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0017] As mentioned above, helium-filled hard disk drives have
certain advantages over air-filled hard disk drives. These
advantages include lower power consumption and reduced friction,
vibration, etc., compared to air-filled hard disk drives. Reduced
friction allows helium-filled hard disk drives to include more
magnetic storage disks compared to similarly-sized air-filled hard
disk drives and therefore have a higher storage capacity. But,
helium-filled hard disk drives are typically more expensive than
air-filled hard disk drives because helium-filled hard disk drives
include additional and often more expensive materials and
components (e.g., pressure sensors). Further, helium-filled hard
disk drives require additional processing during manufacture to
hermetically seal the helium gas within the hard disk drives.
Because helium is a low-density gas, it is challenging to
hermetically seal and maintain such a seal. Air-filled hard disk
drives can be considered to be unsealed because such hard disk
drives usually include a breather hole that permits limited
exchange of gases and/or moisture between an internal hard disk
drive atmosphere and an outer atmosphere.
[0018] Certain embodiments of the present disclosure describe a
storage container that can be filled with a low-density gas, like
helium, and hermetically sealed. The storage container can house
multiple hard disk drives, including hard disk drives that are not
hermetically sealed and thus do not require the additional
components and materials of hermetically sealed hard disk drives,
while realizing the benefits of a helium-filled environment for
those hard disk drives.
[0019] Further, in certain embodiments, certain components (e.g.,
pressure sensors, humidity sensors, temperature sensors,
environmental control units with desiccants) typically used in each
hard disk drive (helium-filled or not) can be removed from the hard
disk drives--thus saving costs--because the storage container
itself can utilize such components in a manner that enables those
components to operate with multiple hard disk drives positioned
within the storage container. Still further, certain embodiments of
the present disclosure relate to assemblies and methods involving
helium-filled storage containers--including various approaches for
sealing the storage containers, thermal management for the storage
containers, and electrically connecting components within and
outside of the storage containers.
[0020] FIG. 1 shows an exploded view of a storage container 100,
which can be used as a stand-alone storage unit (e.g., a network
attached storage (NAS) device and/or a redundant array of
inexpensive disks (RAID)) or incorporated into a larger storage
system (e.g., server). For example, a server could include one or
more storage containers 100 installed in each drawer in a server
rack. The storage container 100 can be hermetically sealed and
filled with gases such as low-density gases like helium.
[0021] The storage container 100 includes a base housing member 102
and an inner cover 104 that, when assembled, form a housing 106
with an internal cavity 108. The storage container also includes an
outer cover 109. The storage container 100 includes a rack assembly
110, which includes storage devices 112 (e.g., hard disk drives)
and which is to be mounted and positioned within the housing 106.
The storage devices 112 can be traditional air-filled hard disk
drives that, when positioned within the helium-filled storage
container 100, can become filled with helium due to their
non-sealed configurations. For example, the storage devices 112 may
include one or more breather holes that permit gases to flow into
and out of an internal cavity of the storage device 112. As such,
the storage devices 112 can realize the benefits of helium-filled
storage devices without the added costs (e.g., more expensive
materials and components and additional processing during
manufacture) associated with helium-filled storage devices. During
manufacture and assembly of the storage container 100, the rack
assembly 110 can be assembled together with the storage devices 112
before the rack assembly 110 is mounted within the housing 106.
[0022] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the rack assembly 110 is shown as
including six storage devices 112. The storage container 100 can be
larger or smaller than the storage container 100 shown in the
figures and therefore can accommodate fewer (e.g., three) or more
(e.g., twelve) storage devices 112. As such, the storage container
100 may include a rack assembly 110 that mounts fewer storage
devices 112 or that mounts more storage devices 112. In certain
embodiments, the storage container 100 includes multiple rack
assemblies. For example, storage containers with twelve storage
devices may include two rack assemblies that can each mount six
storage devices.
[0023] The rack assembly 110 is shown as including a first sidewall
114A and a second sidewall 114B with the storage devices 112
positioned therebetween. The storage devices 112 are coupled to the
sidewalls 114A and 114B by fasteners 116 that extend through
openings 118 (see FIG. 3) in the sidewalls 114A and 114B and that
attach to the storage devices 112. As shown in FIG. 3, the storage
devices 112 may include fastener receivers 120 (e.g., internal
thread) in which the fasteners 116 extend and directly couple to
the storage devices 112. Various components of the rack assembly
110 can be comprised of stainless steel (e.g., stainless steel
sheet metal).
[0024] The rack assembly 110 can include various features to assist
with managing heat generated by the storage devices 112. FIG. 4
shows an exemplary storage container 200 with such features. The
features shown in FIG. 4 can be incorporated into the storage
container 100 and the rack assembly 110 of FIGS. 1-3. The storage
container 200 includes a base housing member 202, an inner cover
204, a housing 206, an internal cavity 208 formed by the base
housing member 202 and the inner cover 204, and an outer cover 209.
FIG. 5 shows a perspective view of the storage container 200
without the inner cover 204 or outer cover 209. The storage
container 200 also includes a rack assembly 210, which includes a
storage device 212. For simplicity, only one storage device 212 is
shown in FIG. 4 to show how heat generated by the storage device
212 is transferred from the storage device to the air outside the
storage container 200. The various arrows 213 along the rack
assembly 210 indicate directions of heat transfer among the
components of the rack assembly 210. The rack assembly 210 includes
a first sidewall 214A and a second sidewall 214B with the storage
device 212 positioned therebetween. The storage device 212 is
coupled to the sidewalls 214A and 214B by fasteners 216.
[0025] In operation, storage devices (e.g., the storage device 212)
in the storage container 200 generate heat, which can affect
performance of the storage devices and/or cause unwanted thermal
expansion of components within the storage container 200. In
certain embodiments, each storage device 212 is coupled to a
thermal interface material (TIM) 218 to help enhance thermal
coupling between the storage device 212 and a surrounding
components of the rack assembly 210. For example, one or more
individual pieces of TIM 218 can be directly coupled to the storage
device 212. In some examples, one piece of TIM 218 is directly
coupled to a motor 220, which is centrally positioned on a storage
device 212, and another piece of TIM 218 is directly coupled to a
printed circuit board 222 of the storage device 212. The TIM 218
can comprise thermally conductive materials (e.g., metals,
polymers, greases, adhesives, and the like and combinations
thereof) that are coupled to the storage device 212.
[0026] Heat generated by the storage device 212 can transfer to the
one or more pieces of TIM 218 and then to a plate 224. The plate
224 can help support respective storage devices within the rack
assembly 210. The plate 224 can comprise thermally conductive
materials such as aluminum. The heat transferred to the plate
224--whether via the TIM 218 or otherwise via contact with or
proximity to the storage device 212--can then transfer to one of
the sidewalls 214A and 214B of the rack assembly 210. As mentioned
above, the sidewalls 214A and 214B can be comprised of comprise
thermally conductive materials such as stainless steel. The heat
transferred to the one or more sidewalls 214A and 214B can then be
transferred to the base housing member 202 of the storage container
200. In certain embodiments, as shown in FIG. 4, one of the faces
226 (or a portion thereof) of the sidewalls 214A and 214B of the
rack assembly 210 directly contacts the base housing member
202--thus providing a relatively large amount of surface area
contact for heat transfer from the sidewall 214A and 214B to the
base housing member 202. In certain embodiments, a TIM is
positioned between the face 226 and the base housing member 202. In
certain embodiments, as shown in FIG. 4, the sidewalls 214A and
214B at least partially rest on a floor 228 of the base housing
member 202. FIG. 4 also shows the base housing member 202 including
heat sinks 230 (e.g., fins, ribs). As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5,
multiple surfaces of the base housing member 202 can have sets
232A-C of heat sinks 230.
[0027] As such, heat originally generated by the storage device 212
can be transferred outside the storage container 200 via a path
from the storage device 212 to the plate 224 (via the TIM 218 or
through contact or proximity with the storage device 212), to the
sidewalls 214A and 214B, and to the base housing member 202 and its
heat sinks 230. In certain embodiments, heat can also transfer from
the storage device 212 to the base housing member 202 via the inner
cover 204 and/or the outer cover 209.
[0028] The storage container 100 and 200 can include various
features to electrically and communicatively couple the storage
devices 112 and 212 to host device (e.g., server, desktop computer,
laptop computer, and the like). FIGS. 1, 2, and 6-8 show the
storage container 100 with such features. These features can be
incorporated into the storage container 200 and the rack assembly
210 of FIGS. 4 and 5.
[0029] Referring back to FIGS. 1 and 2, the storage devices 112 are
electrically and communicatively coupled to one of a first set of
electrical connectors 122A-C (i.e., a first electrical connector
122A, a second electrical connector 122B, and a third electrical
connector 122C) coupled to the rack assembly 110. Accordingly,
these electrical connectors 122A-C are positioned within the
internal cavity 108. Each of the storage devices 112 includes an
electrical interface 124 (e.g., serial AT attachment (SATA)
interface shown in more detail in FIG. 8) that is electrically and
communicatively coupled to one or more electrical wires 126 (shown
in FIG. 6) and/or a flexible circuit, either of which is
electrically and communicatively coupled to a printed circuit board
128 (shown in FIG. 6) and/or the first set electrical connectors
122A-C. For simplicity, FIG. 6 shows only one of the storage
devices 112 of the storage container 100 being electrically and
communicatively coupled to the first electrical connector 122A via
the electrical wires and/or flexible circuit 126 and the printed
circuit board 128. The other storage devices 112 in the storage
container 100 can be similarly electrically and communicatively
coupled to at least one of the first set electrical connectors
122A-C.
[0030] As shown in FIG. 6, the electrical connectors 122A-C can
include a number of conductors 129 (e.g., pins) that mechanically,
electrically, or otherwise communicatively couple with other
electrical connectors. For example, the first set of electrical
connectors 122A-C can be mechanically, electrically, and
communicatively coupled to a second set of respective electrical
connectors 130A-C (i.e., a fourth electrical connector 130A, a
fifth electrical connector 130B, and a sixth electrical connector
130C), which are shown in FIG. 1 as being at least partially
positioned within the base housing member 102 and which are shown
in more detail in FIG. 7.
[0031] The second set of electrical connectors 130A-C can be
low-temperature co-fired ceramic (LTCC) connectors or other types
of electrical connectors that mitigate leakage of low-density gases
like helium through the connectors. As shown in FIG. 7, the second
set of electrical connectors 130A-C can include a layer 132 or set
of layers comprising a ceramic material and conductive paths 134
between conductive pads 136 positioned on opposing surfaces of the
layer 132. The second set of electrical connectors 130A-C are
mounted to the base housing member 102 such that one set of the
conductive pads 136 face the internal cavity 108 and another set of
the conductive pads 136 face outside the storage container 100.
Accordingly, when the conductors 129 of the first set of electrical
connectors 122A-C are coupled to the conductive pads 136,
electrical signals from the first set of electrical connectors
122A-C may be passed between the internal cavity 108 and an
exterior of the storage container 100 while a hermetic seal of the
housing 106 is maintained. For example, the second set of
electrical connectors 130A-C can pass electrical signals between a
set of electrical connectors with pin-based conductors positioned
within the storage container 100 and a another set of electrical
connectors with pin-based conductors positioned outside the storage
container 100.
[0032] As mentioned above and shown in FIG. 6, the second set of
electrical connectors 130A-C is at least partially positioned
within the base housing member 102. The base housing member 102 has
openings 138 within a wall 140 of the base housing member 102.
Respective electrical connectors 130A-C are positioned within the
openings 138. A seal 142 (e.g., gasket or adhesive) can be
positioned between the respective electrical connectors 130A-C and
the openings 138 and comprise materials that create a seal that
mitigates leakage of helium at or around the second set of
electrical connectors 130A-C. For example, each of the second set
of electrical connectors 130A-C could be adhered to the base
housing member 102 using an adhesive that is impermeable to helium
leakage.
[0033] The storage container 100 may also include a third set of
electrical connectors 144 (only one of which is shown in FIG. 6)
that are mechanically, electrically, and communicatively coupled to
the second set of electrical connectors 130A-C. Like the first set
of electrical connectors 122A-C, the third set of electrical
connectors 144 can include conductors 146 that couple to respective
conductive pads 136 of the second set of electrical connectors
130A-C. The third set of electrical connectors 144 can be coupled
to a printed circuit board 148, which includes one or more
electrical interfaces 150 (e.g., universal serial bus) for
communication with a host device and shown in FIG. 1. In certain
embodiments, the printed circuit board 148 includes an electrical
interface 150 for each storage device 112 in the storage container
100. In certain embodiments, the storage container 100 does not
include the printed circuit board 148 and the electrical interface
150 and instead is electrically and communicatively coupled to a
host device without the printed circuit board 148 and electrical
interface 150. Using the various components described herein, the
storage devices 112 are electrically and communicatively coupled to
one or more electrical interfaces 150 and ultimately to a host
device.
[0034] FIG. 8 shows an example electrical interface 124 of the
storage device 112. In particular, FIG. 8 shows a SATA interface
124 with a data section 152 and a power section 154. The data
section 152 of the SATA interface 124 includes various conductors
156 (e.g., pins) associated with data signals to and from the
storage device 112, and the power section 154 of the SATA interface
124 includes various conductors 156 associated with power signals
and ground to and from the storage device 112. For example, the
SATA interface 124 may include seven conductors 156 in the data
section 152 and fifteen conductors 156 in the power section 154. In
such embodiments, among the six storage devices, there would be a
total of forty-two data conductors 156 and ninety power conductors
156 for a total of one hundred thirty-two conductors 156. Certain
conductors 156 in the power section 154 may be dedicated to
facilitating certain voltages. In certain embodiments, three of the
conductors 156 in the power section 154 are used for 3.3 volts,
three other conductors 156 for five volts, and another three
conductors 156 for twelve volts.
[0035] To reduce the number and/or size of openings in the base
housing member 102 (and therefore the number and/or extent of
potential paths for helium leakage), the storage container 100 can
include fewer electrical connectors positioned within the wall 140
of the base housing member 102 than there are storage devices 112.
For example, although the storage container 100 includes six
storage devices 112, the storage container 100 is shown as only
having three electrical connectors 130A-C in the wall 140 of the
base housing member 102. In certain embodiments, this reduced
number of electrical connectors is accomplished by sharing
conductors (e.g., a set of a single conductive path 134 and two
conductive pads 136) among multiple storage devices 112. For
example, some of the conductors of the various electrical
connectors can be electrically and communicatively coupled to
multiple storage devices 112. These shared conductors can be those
dedicated to coupling power and/or ground to the storage devices
112. In certain embodiments with six storage devices 112, there may
be a minimum number of six conductors dedicated to power, eight
conductors dedicated to ground, and forty-two conductors dedicated
to data signals for a total of eighty-four conductors. Conductors
dedicated to data signals generally cannot be shared among
different storage devices 112. As such, the first set, the second
set, and the third set of electrical connectors 122A-C, 130A-C, and
144 may include eighty-four conductors dedicated to electrically
and communicatively coupling to the storage devices. The sets of
electrical connectors may include additional conductors for storage
devices and/or for electrically and communicatively coupling to
other electrical components (e.g., pressure sensor(s), temperature
sensor(s), humidity sensor(s)) in the storage container 100.
[0036] As just mentioned, the storage container 100 can include one
or more pressure sensors 158, temperature sensors 160, and humidity
sensors 162 positioned within the internal cavity 108 and
configured to measure, respectively, the pressure, temperature, and
humidity within the storage container 100. In certain embodiments,
the sensors are mounted to the circuit board 128 (shown in FIG. 6)
or another circuit board positioned within the internal cavity 108.
Output signals from the one or more pressure sensors 158,
temperature sensors 160, and humidity sensors 162 can be used to
ensure that the storage container 100 is operating within a desired
range of conditions. For example, the storage container 100 may
include circuitry (e.g., a controller) that receives the output
signals from the various sensors and compares the output signals to
predetermine thresholds of pressure, temperature, and humidity. If
any one of the thresholds is breached, the circuitry can generate
an alert signal that the storage container 100 is outside a desired
operating condition. In another example, if the output signals of
the pressure sensor 158 indicate a high or low pressure relative to
one atmosphere, the circuitry could generate a signal that alerts
the user to refill the storage container 100 with helium. The
output signals from the various sensors can also be used by the
storage devices 112 to change certain operating conditions. For
example, hard disk drives may be programmed to change operating
conditions (e.g., read/write head fly height) based on the
pressure, temperature, and/or humidity within the hard disk drive.
Here, instead of each storage device 112 having its own dedicated
pressure, temperature, and/or humidity sensor, the storage
container 100 can include a single pressure sensor 158, a single
temperature sensor 160, and a single humidity sensor 162 that are
shared among the storage devices 112, thus reducing overall cost of
the storage container 100. The storage container 100 can also
include an environmental control unit (ECU) 164 with desiccants
that absorb organic vapor contamination and/or moisture that may
affect operation of the storage devices 112.
[0037] FIGS. 1 and 9 show the storage container 100 with various
features to assist with initially filling and then refilling the
storage container 100 with helium (and/or other inert gases) to
maintain the desired environment within the internal cavity 108.
The features shown in FIGS. 1 and 9 can be incorporated into the
storage container 100 the storage container 200 of FIGS. 4 and 5.
FIG. 9 shows a cut-away view of the inner cover 104 and the outer
cover 109. The inner cover 104 can be coupled to base housing
member 102 via fasteners that extend through openings in the inner
cover 104 to engage with features of the base housing member 102.
In certain embodiments, a gasket or adhesive is positioned between
the inner cover 104 and the base housing member 102 to assist with
mitigating gas leakage from the internal cavity 108.
[0038] The inner cover 104 includes an opening 166 through which a
target gas (e.g., gas comprising helium, oxygen, nitrogen) can be
injected through to initial fill and refill the storage container
100. Once the target gas reaches a desired pressure within the
storage container 100, a seal 168 can be applied to the inner cover
104 to cover the opening 166. The seal 168 can comprise materials
that mitigate helium leakage, and the seal 168 can be attached to
the inner cover 104 by an adhesive. Should the storage container
100 need to be refilled with helium, the seal 168 can be pierced
and/or removed from the inner cover 104, and another seal can be
used to cover the opening 166. The seal 168 assists with mitigating
helium leakage while the storage container 100 continues to be
assembled and tested during manufacture.
[0039] The outer cover 109 can be coupled to the base housing
member 102 via fasteners that extend through openings in the inner
cover 104 to engage with features of the base housing member 102.
In certain embodiments, a gasket or adhesive is positioned between
the outer cover 109 and the base housing member 102 to assist with
mitigating gas leakage from the internal cavity 108.
[0040] The outer cover 109 can be coupled to a sealing member 170.
For example, the outer cover 109 may include a recess 172 in which
the sealing member 170 is positioned. The sealing member 170 can be
adhered or otherwise coupled to the outer cover 109. The sealing
member 170 is positioned on the outer cover 109 such that, when the
outer cover 109 is assembled to the base housing member 102, the
sealing member 170 is positioned adjacent the opening 166. In
certain embodiment, the sealing member 170 is directly coupled
between the inner cover 104 and the outer cover 109. For example,
sealing member 170 may not contact the seal 168 and instead may
contact the inner cover 104 directly. As such, the sealing member
170 provides additional assistance with mitigating helium leakage
from the internal cavity 108. The sealing member 170 can comprise
one or more layers of materials that have low helium permeation
such as materials with nitrile, fluorocarbons, ethylene propylene
diene monomer, polyvinyl chloride and perfluoroelastomer. In
certain embodiments, the sealing member 170 comprises a
form-in-place gasket (FIPG). Storage devices like hard disk drives
may use an FIPG to provide a limited seal between a base deck and
top cover. These hard disk drive FIPGs generally comprise silicon
because of its ability to provide a seal given the space
constraints and outgassing requirements of a hard disk drive. But,
silicon-based FIPGs have been found to have relatively poor helium
permeation. Because the storage container 100 has fewer space
constraints than hard disk drive and/or because the internal cavity
108 of the storage devices 112 is not necessarily exposed to the
FIPGs, the low-helium-permeation materials listed above can be used
and can provide ten to thirty times better helium permeation
compared to silicon-based FIPGs.
[0041] Various modifications and additions can be made to the
embodiments disclosed without departing from the scope of this
disclosure. For example, while the embodiments described above
refer to particular features, the scope of this disclosure also
includes embodiments having different combinations of features and
embodiments that do not include all of the described features.
Accordingly, the scope of the present disclosure is intended to
include all such alternatives, modifications, and variations as
falling within the scope of the claims, together with all
equivalents thereof.
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