Abstract:
A cable holder unit is mounted in an electronic device mounting a plurality of units connected with cables. The cable holder unit has a cable holder assembly having cable holders and a support section for supporting the cable holders and a mounting section for mounting the cable holder assembly. The support section has a groove and a movable section having a projection that is to be inserted into and penetrates through the groove. The mounting section has a pivoting section that enables the support section to pivot and an anchoring section that engages with the projection to stop the support section from pivoting. The cable holder unit also has a preventing section for preventing adjacent units under the mounting section from being pulled out.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0002]    The present invention relates to a cable holder unit for holding a large number of interface cables mounted in an electronic device such as a disk array system. 
         [0003]    2. Description of the Related Art 
         [0004]    With increasing capacity of hard disks, the damage sustained when such hard disks fail is becoming larger. In order to tackle this problem, RAID (Redundant Array of Inexpensive Disks) technology is being used to prevent loss of data caused when such hard disks fail and also to improve processing performance. In this technology, a plurality of hard disks are combined and managed as one redundant hard disk, and a system using this technology is called as a disk array system. The disk array system is composed of a plurality of disk units for storing data, control modules for controlling reading/writing of data from/to the disk units, channel adapters for controlling communications with a host, and others. A large number of cables such as interface cables between the host and the channel adapters are mounted within a case of the disk array system. When the channel adapters and the control modules are stacked on two rows of upper and lower rows for example, the interface cables between the host and the channel adapters may be obstructive in exchanging units of the control module on the lower row. In such a case, maintenance personnel carry out the exchange of units by pushing the cables aside by hand. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0005]    A cable holder unit of the present invention is mounted in an electronic device mounting a plurality of units connected with cables. The cable holder unit has a cable holder assembly having cable holders and a support section for supporting the cable holders and a mounting section for mounting the cable holder assembly. The support section has a groove and a movable section having a projection that is to be inserted into and penetrates through the groove. The mounting section has a pivoting section that enables the support section to pivot and an anchoring section that engages with the projection to stop the support section from pivoting. This configuration allows the cable holder assembly to be pivoted by releasing the engagement of the projection of the movable section. 
         [0006]    As a result, the cables that hang down over the units disposed under the cable holder unit may be eliminated, so that it becomes easy to pull out the units. 
     
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0007]      FIG. 1  shows part of a disk array system; 
           [0008]      FIG. 2  is a drawing for depicting how to handle cables; 
           [0009]      FIG. 3  is a drawing showing a cable holder assembly; 
           [0010]      FIGS. 4A ,  4 B and  4 C are, respectively, front, right side and perspective views of the cable holder assembly; 
           [0011]      FIGS. 5A and 5B  are drawings showing the cable holder assembly before it is pivoted; 
           [0012]      FIGS. 6A and 6B  are drawings showing the cable holder assembly after it is pivoted; 
           [0013]      FIGS. 7A and 7B  are first drawings showing an erroneous pulling preventing fitting; and 
           [0014]      FIGS. 8A and 8B  are second drawings showing the erroneous pulling preventing fitting. 
       
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0015]      FIG. 1  shows part of a disk array system  21 , i.e., the disk array system  21  when a front cover thereof is removed.  FIG. 1  shows disk units  22 , power modules  23 , control modules (hereinafter referred to as CMs)  24 , channel adapters (hereinafter referred to as CAs)  25 , battery units  26 , a shelf  27  mounting the CMs  24  and the CAs  25 , a cable holder unit  11  and other components mounted in the disk array system  21 . 
         [0016]    Several tens of disk units  22  are installed in an upper part of the system. The twelve power modules  23  are provided below the disk units. Then, under the power modules  23 , sets of the CMs  24  in an upper part and the CAs  25  in a lower part are mounted in two rows of upper and lower rows of the shelf  27 . The cable holder unit  11  is mounted between the two rows of the upper and lower rows of the shelf  27 . The battery units  26  are provided on a left side seen from the front side with respect to the disk units  22 , the power modules  23 , the CMs  24  and the CAs  25 . 
         [0017]    The disk units  22  are units for storing data. The power modules  23  are power sources of the CMs  24  and the CAs  25 . The CM  24  performs read control for sending read data from the disk unit  22  to the host, and others. The CA  25  controls communications with the host. Data from the CA  25  is sent to the corresponding CM  24 . Data from the CM  24  is sent to the corresponding CA  25 . Four of the CAs  25  are connected to one CM  24 . The battery unit  26  supplies power to memories on the CM  24  when its power is interrupted. The shelf  27  is configured so as to have the upper and lower rows to mount two sets of the CMs  24  and the CAs  25 . Although not shown, cables  28  for connecting the CAs  25  with the host are mounted. The cable holder unit  11  holds the cables  28  not shown in  FIG. 1 . 
         [0018]      FIG. 2  is a drawing showing how to handle the cables. 
         [0019]    The cables  28  connected to connectors of the CAs  25  are wired toward a lower part of the disk array system  21  so as to be wired under a floor where the disk array system  21  is installed. Sixteen of the cables  28  are wired from sixteen of the CAs  25  mounted in the upper row of the shelf  27  to the lower part of the disk array system  21 . Wiring of the cables  28  of the CAs  25  in the lower row of the shelf  27  is not shown here. Wiring of the cables  28  corresponding to the second CA  25  from the right seen from the front side represents a state of the cables when a cable holder assembly  1  is pivoted. The cable holder assembly  1  clamps four of the cables, so that the four cables  28  move by pivoting the cable holder assembly  1 . As a result, none of the cables  28  hangs down over the CM  24  under this CA  25 . No cable holder assembly  1  of the other three parts is pivoted here, so that the cables  28  hang down over the CMs  24  as is. 
         [0020]      FIG. 3  is a drawing for explaining the cable holder assembly  1 . 
         [0021]    The disk array system  21  is provided with the cable holder unit  11  for mounting the cables  28  connected to the CAs  25  in the upper row between the upper and lower rows of the shelf  27  for mounting the CAs  25  and the CMs  24 . The cable holder unit  11  has four cable holder assemblies  1  and a fitting C 12  for mounting them. Each of the cable holder assemblies  1  has a fitting A 2 , cable clamp holders  3 , a coil spring  4 , a pin A 5 , an axial hole  6 , a fitting B 7 , a groove A 8  and a hole  9 . The cable clamp holders  3 , the coil spring  4 , the pin A 5  and the fitting B 7  are mounted in the fitting A 2 . The fitting A 2  is also provided with the axial hole  6 , the groove A 8  and the hole  9 . Each of the cable holders  3  holds one of the cables  28  from a corresponding CA  25  and has four holders. The coil spring  4  is a spring for locking each of the cable holder assemblies  1  to the fitting C 12 . To that end, the coil spring  1  is adapted so as to insert a V-shaped projecting part thereof into a groove C 13  of the fitting C 12  by its spring force by penetrating through the groove. A 8  of the fitting A 2 . The coil spring  4  is movable and has the sufficient spring force to maintain the V-shaped projecting part in the groove C 13  of the fitting C 12  until maintenance personnel lift up the coil spring  4  by hand. The spring is also adapted to be anchored by an edge  16  of an anchoring portion  15  of the fitting C 12  when the projecting part of the coil spring  4  penetrates through the groove A 8  of the fitting A 2 . A pin A 5  fixes the coil spring  4  to the fitting A 2 . The coil spring  4  is fixed so that it is pivotable counterclockwise seen from the front side of the disk array system  21  when the maintenance personnel lifts up the projecting part of the coil spring  4  from the fitting A 2 . A pin C 17  forming an axis of rotation is inserted into the axial hole  6 . A fitting B 7  obstructs operation of an ejector lever  29  of the CMs  24 . The groove A 8  penetrates the V-shaped part of the coil spring  4  through the fitting A 2 . The hole  9  is a hole for fixing the coil spring  4  to the fitting A 2  by means of the pin A 5 . The fitting C 12  of the cable holder unit  11  has the groove C 13 , a hole for axis of rotation  14 , the anchoring portion  15 , the edge  16  and the pin C 17 . The fitting C 12  is fixed to the shelf  27 . The groove C 13  engages with the V-shaped projecting part of the coil spring  4  of the cable holder assembly  1  when the projecting part is inserted therein and stops the cable holder assembly  1  from pivoting. The hole for axis of rotation  14  receives the pin C 17  forming the axis of rotation. The pin C 17  is fixed to the fitting C 12  so that the cable holder assembly  1  is pivotable. The anchoring portion  15  is provided with the edge  16  to stop the cable holder assembly  1  after it has been pivoted. The pin C 17  is the axis of rotation for pivoting the cable holder assembly  1  at a fulcrum of the axial hole  6  of the fitting A 2 . 
         [0022]      FIGS. 4A ,  4 B and  4 C are front, right side and perspective views of the cable holder assembly  1 . 
         [0023]      FIG. 4A  is a front view of the cable holder assembly  1 , i.e., a view showing a side of the cable holder  3  and the fitting B 7 . The cable holder assembly  1  mounts the cable holders  3  on the fitting A 2 .  FIG. 4B  is a right side view of the cable holder assembly  1 , wherein the coil spring  4  is fixed by the pin A 5  and a right side of the cable holder  3  can be seen. The fitting B 7  has an L-shape and part of the L-shape is disposed under the fitting A 2 .  FIG. 4C  is a perspective view of the cable holder assembly seen from its backside, wherein the part of the coil spring  4  is inserted into the groove A 8  of the fitting A 2 . When the coil spring  4  enters the groove C 13  of the fitting C 12  in this state, the cable holder assembly  1  is locked to the fitting C 12 . Accordingly, lifting up the coil spring  4  in a direction of an arrow releases the coil spring  4  from the groove C 13 . As a result, the cable holder assembly  1  is unlocked from the fitting C 12 . 
         [0024]      FIGS. 5A and 5B  are drawings showing the cable holder assembly  1  before it is pivoted. 
         [0025]    Before lifting up the coil spring  4 , the coil spring  4  enters the groove A 8  of the fitting A 2  as well as the groove C 13  of the fitting C 12  by its spring force and locks the cable holder assembly  1  so as not to pivot (see  FIG. 5A ). Therefore, in order to pivot the cable holder assembly  1 , the coil spring  4  is lifted up first in the direction of the arrow (see  FIG. 5B ). Then, because the V-shaped projecting part that was in the groove A 8  of the fitting A 2  as well as the groove C 13  of the fitting C 12  has been moved above the fitting C 12  from the groove C 13  by lifting up the part of the coil spring  4 , the cable holder assembly  1  is slightly pivoted clockwise in this state. Then, when the part of the lifted-up coil spring  4  is released, the V-shaped projecting part of the coil spring  4  rides on the anchoring portion  15  of the fitting C 12 . 
         [0026]      FIGS. 6A and 6B  are drawings for explaining the cable holder assembly after it is pivoted. 
         [0027]      FIG. 6A  shows a state when the cable holder assembly  1  is pivoted in almost 90 degrees clockwise away from the fitting C 12  at the fulcrum of the pin C 17  from the state shown in  FIG. 5B . At this time, the V-shape projecting part of the coil spring  4  rides on the anchoring portion  15  and pivots while in contact with the anchoring portion  15 . Then, when the cable holder assembly  1  is pivoted about 90 degrees clockwise away from the fitting C 12 , the coil spring  4  is released from the anchoring portion  15  and enters a region of the edge  16  of the fitting C 12 . As a result, the V-shaped projecting part of the coil spring  4  jumps out of the groove A 8  of the fitting A 2 . Therefore, the cable holder assembly  1  cannot be pivoted counterclockwise because the V-shaped projecting part of the coil spring  4  collides against the edge  16  of the anchoring portion  15  of the fitting C 12 . Accordingly, the open state of the cable holder assembly  1  is maintained (see  FIG. 6B ). Thus, the interface cables may be effectively moved, so that it becomes easy to exchange the units in the lower row. The invention is applicable not only to the case of configuration of the upper and lower rows but also to a configuration of right and left rows in which the cables  28  are connected from left units by passing through over right units for example. 
         [0028]      FIGS. 7A and 7B  are first drawings for explaining an erroneous pulling preventing fitting. 
         [0029]    The fitting B 7  of the cable holder assembly  1  obstructs movement of the ejector lever  29  of the CM  24  when the cable holder assembly  1  is closed (see  FIG. 7A ).  FIG. 7B  shows a positional relationship between the ejector lever and the fitting B 7 . This figure shows the positional relationship between the ejector lever  29  and the fitting B 7  seen from the right side of the cable holder assembly  1  from the direction of the front side of the disk array system  21 . When the ejector lever  29  is urged clockwise in a direction of an arrow based on a fulcrum  31  of the ejector lever  29 , an X part of an edge of the L-shaped fitting B 7  collides against the ejector lever  29 , blocking the ejector lever  29  from pivoting. Therefore, the ejector lever  29  cannot be pivoted. Thus, it prevents operation of the ejector lever  29  for pulling out the CMs  24  in the state when the cables  28  from the CAs  25  hang down. As a result, it becomes possible to prevent the cables  28  from being damaged which would otherwise occur if the CMs  24  were forcibly pulled out without properly handling the cables. 
         [0030]      FIGS. 8A and 8B  are second drawings for explaining the erroneous pulling preventing fitting. 
         [0031]    When the cable holder assembly  1  is being pivoted, the fitting B 7  is far from the ejector lever  29  (see  FIG. 8A ). Therefore, the fitting will not obstruct the operation of the ejector lever  29 . As a result, it becomes possible to pull out the CMs  24  because the ejector lever  29  is pivotable (see  FIG. 8B ).