Abstract:
Provided is an apparatus comprising a tray coupled to leaf spring mounts with multiple guide slots, the multiple guide slots adapted to receive multiple guide pins coupled to an electronic component, the leaf spring mounts adapted to hold the electronic component in a pre-determined position with spring force.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application is related to commonly owned and co-pending Application No. entitled “TOOL-LESS ELECTRONIC COMPONENT RETENTION,” by Michael Allen Curnalia, et al., Docket No. SJO920060069US1, filed on ______, and which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    1. Field 
         [0003]    Embodiments of the invention relate to mounting electronic components. 
         [0004]    2. Description of the Related Art 
         [0005]    Some electronic components have a first connector that is capable of connection to a second connector of a system unit or device. For example, a Hard Disk Drive (HDD) has a first connector that is capable of connecting to a second connector coupled to a Printed Circuit Board (PCB). When these electronic components that have connectors are mounted into system units or devices, it is common to slide the electronic components into their mating connector from the opposite side and fix the electronic components using fastening parts, such as screws or more complicated apparatuses. 
         [0006]    For accurate connector mating, electronic component positioning is important and needs to be defined exactly in X, Y, and Z directions. Conventional design techniques (such as fastening screws and mounting holes) require detailed design of each positioning component (i.e., parts to mount the electronic component in a desired position) and may result in parts&#39; quantities/variety and system unit or device complication. In such cases, a large space is needed for mounting electronic components within system units or devices. 
         [0007]    If screws or special fasteners are used for mounting electronic components, tools (such as a screw driver) are required on hand for removal and fastening. Moreover, if changing the direction or posture of system units or devices is required, workability becomes very bad. That is, changing the direction or posture causes additional procedures, and assembly or disassembly operation may become complicated. 
         [0008]    Thus, there is a need in the art for improved mounting of electronic components. 
       SUMMARY OF EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION 
       [0009]    Provided is an apparatus comprising a tray coupled to leaf spring mounts with multiple guide slots, the multiple guide slots adapted to receive multiple guide pins coupled to an electronic component, the leaf spring mounts adapted to hold the electronic component in a pre-determined position with spring force. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0010]    Referring now to the drawings in which like reference numbers represent corresponding parts throughout: 
           [0011]      FIG. 1A  illustrates a bottom view of a hard disk drive mounting configuration in accordance with certain embodiments. 
           [0012]      FIG. 1B  illustrates a top view of a hard disk drive mounting configuration in accordance with certain embodiments. 
           [0013]      FIG. 2A  illustrates a top view of a hard disk drive mounting structure with guide pins in accordance with certain embodiments. 
           [0014]      FIG. 2B  illustrates a bottom view of a hard disk drive mounting structure with guide pins in accordance with certain embodiments. 
           [0015]      FIGS. 3A and 3B  illustrate hard disk drive installation in accordance with certain embodiments. 
           [0016]      FIG. 4  illustrates a top view of a hard disk drive that has been mounted into a tray in accordance with certain embodiments. 
           [0017]      FIGS. 5A ,  5 B, and  5 C illustrate a hard disk drive mounting procedure in accordance with certain embodiments. 
           [0018]      FIG. 6  illustrates a cross section of a guide pin in accordance with certain embodiments. 
           [0019]      FIG. 7A  illustrates a cross-section of a center portion of a hard disk drive in accordance with certain embodiments. 
           [0020]      FIG. 7B  illustrates a cross-section of a side portion of a hard disk drive in accordance with certain embodiments. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0021]    In the following description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof and which illustrate several embodiments of the invention. It is understood that other embodiments may be utilized and structural and operational changes may be made without departing from the scope of the invention. 
         [0022]    Embodiments provide a new mechanism that enables easy installation and sure connection of electronic components into system units or devices, without using tools. Such electronic components (e.g., hard disk drives) have connectors. With embodiments, these electronic components may be positioned quickly and precisely and mounted firmly within system units or devices using leaf spring mounts with a guiding function incorporated. Furthermore, since electronic components can be removed and replaced easily with embodiments, maintenance workability is improved. With embodiments, a tray incorporates and carries one or more hard disk drives on a Printed Circuit Board (PCB). 
         [0023]      FIG. 1A  illustrates a bottom view  110  of a hard disk drive mounting configuration in accordance with certain embodiments.  FIG. 1B  illustrates a top view  150  of a hard disk drive mounting configuration in accordance with certain embodiments. In this illustration, the bottom view  110  and top view  150  each include three hard disk drives (i.e., hard disk drives  152 ,  154 ,  156 , which can be seen in the top view  150 ). For example, if the top view  150  were flipped over, the bottom view  110  would be seen. 
         [0024]      FIG. 2A  illustrates a top view  200  of a hard disk drive mounting structure with guide pins in accordance with certain embodiments.  FIG. 2B  illustrates a bottom view  250  of a hard disk drive mounting structure with guide pins in accordance with certain embodiments. The hard disk drive illustrated in  FIGS. 2A and 2B  may be one of the hard disk drives  152 ,  154 ,  156  ( FIG. 1 ). The hard disk drive  210  is structurally held by a metal support  212 , two guide pins  214   a  and  214   b  (shown in  FIG. 2A ) are respectively staked in the right and left sides of one side of the metal support  212 , and two guide pins  214   c,    214   d  (shown in  FIG. 2B ) are respectively staked in the right and left sides of another side of the metal support  212 . The hard disk drive  210  has a connector  260  for connection to a PCB. In addition, a latch mechanism  220  is coupled to the metal support  212 . The latch mechanism  220  includes a latch tongue (i.e., the portion of the latch mechanism  220  that is inserted into a retention hole on the PCB). 
         [0025]      FIGS. 3A and 3B  illustrate hard disk drive  210  installation in accordance with certain embodiments. PCB  330  is placed into tray  350 , and leaf spring mounts  310  are coupled to the sides of the tray  350  at predetermined positions. The tray  350  may also be referred to as a housing. Each leaf spring mount  310  may be described as a flexible elastic object used to store mechanical energy and that is reverse U-shaped and produces a spring force. A connector  340  is mounted on the PCB  330 , and the hard disk drive  210  is slid towards connector  340  so that connector  340  is coupled to (i.e., mated with) connector  260  on the hard disk drive  210 . One leaf spring mount  310  includes guide slots  314   a,    314   b,  and the other leaf spring mount includes guide slots  314   c,    314   d,  where the guide slots  314   a,    314   b,    314   c,    314   d  include holes for guiding and holding guide pins  214   a,    214   b,    214   c,    214   d,  respectively. The PCB  330  includes a retention hole  360  into which the latch tongue of the latch mechanism  220  is inserted. 
         [0026]      FIG. 4  illustrates a top view of a hard disk drive  210  that has been mounted into a tray  350  in accordance with certain embodiments. Guide slots  314   a,    314   b,    314   c,    314   d  are illustrated in leaf spring mounts  31   0 . The hard disk drive  210  with prepared guide pins  214   a,    214   b,    214   c,    214   d  is inserted toward PCB  350  according to guide slots  314   a,    314   b,    314   c,    314   d  on the leaf spring mounts  310 . Additionally, connector  260  is coupled to connector  340  as part of the procedure of inclusion of the hard disk drive  210  in the tray  350 . 
         [0027]      FIGS. 5A ,  5 B, and  5 C illustrate a hard disk drive mounting procedure in accordance with certain embodiments. In  FIG. 5A , the hard disk drive  210  is being inserted into the tray  350 , and in  FIG. 5B , the hard disk drive  210  has been inserted into the tray  350 . Since latch mechanism  220  is coupled to the hard disk drive  210 , the latch tongue locks the position when the hard disk drive  210  moves in place and its connector is mated with the other connector  340  on the PCB  330  ( FIG. 5C ). When the latch is locked, the latch is inserted into the retention hole. Moreover, the leaf spring mounts  310  stick to the hard disk drive  210 , which is firmly held by the restitution of the leaf spring mounts  310  that surround the hard disk drive  210  on both sides. Furthermore, the positioning causes the electronic products (e.g., the HDD) to arrange in the center automatically by the restitution of the leaf spring mounts  310 . That is, when the HDD  210  is mounted in place, the HDD  210  is automatically aligned in a center position, ready for exact mating with the connector  340  on the PCB  330  by the spring force from each of the leaf spring mounts  310 . In this manner, embodiments provide a self centering function (e.g., see the dashed line of  FIG. 4 ). 
         [0028]      FIG. 6  illustrates a cross section of a guide pin in accordance with certain embodiments. The guide slot  314   b  has a larger opening and a narrower slot end, and the guide pin  214   b  has a larger head that enters the guide slot  314   b  and moves to the narrow end of the guide slot  314   b.  Since the head of the guide pin  214   b  is large, the guide pin  214   b  does not come out from the guide slot  314   b.    
         [0029]      FIG. 7A  illustrates a cross-section of a center portion of a hard disk drive in accordance with certain embodiments.  FIG. 7B  illustrates a cross-section of a side portion of a hard disk drive in accordance with certain embodiments. In  FIG. 7A , as for the connector  260 , the amount of required movements is decided by terminal form. According to this amount of movement, the form of the guide slots  314   a,    314   b,    314   c,    314   d  is designed so that each guide slot  314   a,    314   b,    314   c,    314   d  may be made to interlock with a respective guide pin  214   a,    214   b,    214   c,    214   d.  Thereby, each guide pin  214   a,    214   b,    214   c,    214   d  prepared in hard disk drive  210  moves along with guide slot  314   a,    314   b,    314   c,    314   d  and is capable of performing connector  260 ,  340  connection certainly. That is, the connector  260  has the required slide moving distance to be fully mated, and the shape of the guide slots  314   a,    314   b,    314   c,    314   d  is designed so that the guide pins  214   a,    214   b,    214   c,    214   d  can move along with the guide slots  314   a,    314   b,    314   c,    314   d  until the connection is completed on the PCB  330 . In this case, connection is possible, without adding stress to connector  260  in the upper-and-lower-sides and right-and-left direction. That is, the HDD  210  is self-aligned by the interlocking between the guide slots  314   a,    314   b,    314   c,    314   d  and the guide pins  314   a,    314   b,    314   c,    314   d,  and the connection is smoothly and exactly completed. 
         [0030]    As illustrated in  FIGS. 7A and 7B , embodiments prevent the electronic products (e.g., hard disk drives) from completely separating from apparatus and equipment (e.g., the tray  350 ) by preparing the latch mechanism  220  to the opposite side of the connector  260 . 
         [0031]    In the attachment and detachment of electronic components that have connectors (e.g., hard disk drives), embodiments provide an easily incorporable mechanism for a predetermined position, without use of a tool. Moreover, the function of positioning and maintenance of parts uses limited space in the system unit or device. From a viewpoint of workability, the mechanism is able to respond to the exchange in maintenance of the electronic products incorporated at once (i.e., enables easy and simple operation during maintenance procedures). 
         [0032]    Thus, embodiments provide leaf spring mounts with a guiding function incorporated. Then, a hard disk drive or other electronic component with a connector may be efficiently, easily, and certainly positioned such that the connector is coupled to a second connector. Such a mechanism also enables the electronic component to be easily removed for maintenance or other reasons, without use of a tool (such as a screw driver). 
         [0033]    In addition, moving distance and direction of the parts with which the electronic component is equipped are controlled by the shape of the guide slot. Moreover, by applying the spring force of the leaf spring mount, the electronic component is held certainly and anti-vibration/shock nature is improved as the leaf spring mounts absorb vibrations and shocks. In addition, the leaf spring mounts provide a thermal transfer mechanism that enables the electronic component to remain cool. 
         [0034]    The foregoing description of embodiments of the invention has been presented for the purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the embodiments to the precise form disclosed. Many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching. It is intended that the scope of the embodiments be limited not by this detailed description, but rather by the claims appended hereto. The above specification, examples and data provide a complete description of the manufacture and use of the composition of the embodiments. Since many embodiments may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the embodiments, the embodiments reside in the claims hereinafter appended or any subsequently-filed claims, and their equivalents.