Abstract:
The release mechanism includes a guide body adapted to support a guide wall of the electronic device unit, and a locking mechanism adapted to lock the electronic device unit supported on the guide body. The locking mechanism includes an elastic piece projecting in cantilever fashion from an end of the guide body, an operating projection that projects from the elastic piece, and an engaging protrusion that protrudes from the elastic piece and that is adapted to intrude into a screw hole in the electronic device unit to thereby restrict sliding of the electronic device unit. The operating projection is formed with larger size than the engaging protrusion so that under conditions of induced flexure of the elastic piece the engaging protrusion disengages from the screw hole, and during sliding of the electronic device unit does not contact the guide wall.

Description:
[0001]    This application claims the benefit of and priority from Japanese Application No. 2009-237988 filed Oct. 15, 2009, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0003]    The present invention relates to an electronic device unit release mechanism, to a release mechanism for electronic device units housing a plurality of detachable electronic device units, and to a disk array device. 
         [0004]    2. Description of the Related Art 
         [0005]    With a view to achieving faster speeds, higher capacities, and better reliability in external storage devices, disk array devices designed to accommodate several electronic device units housing hard disk drives (HDD) have become available recently. 
         [0006]    Release mechanisms for detaching the electronic device units in such conventional disk array devices include arrangements in which a bracket or tray is installed on the electronic device unit, or in which an electronic device unit of standard design is secured and screwed into a frame using the screw holes provided to the unit; however, such arrangements involve many parts, and the cumbersome installation procedure was also a problem. The related arts are described in JP-A 08-212016, JP-A 10-50048, JP-A 2003-216277 and JP-A 2004-54967. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0007]    An advantage of some aspects of the invention is to provide an electronic device unit release mechanism and a disk array device having few parts and affording simplicity of operations to attach and detach the electronic device units. 
         [0008]    According to an aspect of the invention there is provided with a release mechanism for an electronic device adapted to detachably house an electronic device unit. The release mechanism comprises a guide body adapted to slidably support a guide wall of the electronic device unit; and a locking mechanism adapted to lock the electronic device unit supported on the guide body. The locking mechanism includes an elastic piece projecting in cantilever fashion from an end of the guide body, an operating projection that projects from the elastic piece, and an engaging protrusion that protrudes from the elastic piece and that is adapted to intrude into a screw hole of the electronic device unit to thereby restrict sliding of the electronic device unit. The operating projection is formed with larger size than the engaging protrusion so that the engaging protrusion disengages from the screw hole and then the electronic device unit slides on the guide body without the engaging protrusion contacting with the guide wall of the electronic device unit, when the elastic piece is elastically deformed and external force is applied to the electronic device unit in a sliding direction. 
         [0009]    According to the electronic device unit release mechanism of the first aspect, for positioning purposes, a standard screw hole provided for fastening purposes on the guide wall of the electronic device unit engages a catch projection provided on the guide member, making the arrangement compatible with electronic device units of standard design. The release mechanism is thus provided with a simple design that does not require furnishing the electronic device units with separate components such as a bracket or tray. 
         [0010]    The electronic device unit can be detached from the release mechanism by inducing flexure of the elastic piece and pulling out the grip portion of the ejection member; meanwhile, the electronic device unit can be installed in the storage space by inducing flexure of the elastic piece and pushing the unit in onto the guide member. Thus, a fastening procedure using screws or the like is not required to install the electronic device unit, making for an extremely easy installation procedure. 
         [0011]    During attachment or detachment, by inducing flexure of the elastic piece of the release mechanism, the catch projection can be disengaged from the screw hole of the electronic device unit, and during sliding of the electronic device unit over the top of the upper support portion does not become caught in the screw holes, thus affording smooth attachment and detachment operations. 
         [0012]    In an electronic device unit release mechanism according to a second aspect, the operating projection has a sloping guide face that slopes in such a way as to guide the guide walls of the electronic device unit towards the guide body with the elastic piece held flexed. 
         [0013]    According to a third aspect there is additionally provided an ejection member adapted to apply external force in the direction of withdrawing the electronic device unit; the ejection member includes an ejection member body, a grip portion formed at one end of the ejection member body, and a inflected pushing portion formed at the other end of the ejection member body, the inflected pushing portion being inflected in such a way as to push against the back wall of the electronic device unit. 
         [0014]    According to a fourth aspect, the inflected pushing portion has a pushing end inflected so to push against the midpoint of the back wall of the electronic device unit. According to this feature, the pushing end inflected from the ejection member body pushes against the back wall of the electronic device unit in the approximately center portion thereof so that the ejection member may move the electronic device unit smoothly and without tilting. 
         [0015]    According to a fifth aspect, the grip portion is ring-shaped making it readily apparent that the grip portion is intended to be pulled, thus providing an intuitive interface. 
         [0016]    Another aspect provides a disk array device detachably housing the electronic device unit in the release mechanism. 
         [0017]    The disk array device comprises an ejection member that is configured such that the grip portion lies partially exposed through the opening when the front cover is detached from the casing body, and becomes entirely exposed, the ejection member being movable in the sliding direction without application of external force to the electronic device unit. 
         [0018]    These and other objects, features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments with the accompanying drawings. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0019]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view showing a disk array device according to an embodiment of the invention, 
           [0020]      FIG. 2  is an exploded perspective view of the disk array device, 
           [0021]      FIG. 3  is an exploded perspective view of a release mechanism, 
           [0022]      FIG. 4  is a front view of the release mechanism, shown with one electronic device unit installed, 
           [0023]      FIG. 5  shows the procedure for detaching an electronic device unit from the disk array device, 
           [0024]      FIG. 6  is a sectional view taken along line  6 - 6  in  FIG. 5 , 
           [0025]      FIG. 7  shows the operation, continuing from  FIG. 6 , 
           [0026]      FIG. 8  shows the operation, continuing from  FIG. 5 , 
           [0027]      FIG. 9  shows the operation, continuing on from  FIG. 7 , and 
           [0028]      FIG. 10  shows the operation, continuing on from  FIG. 9 . 
       
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     (1) Features of Disk Array Device  10   
       [0029]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view showing a disk array device  10  according to an embodiment of the invention.  FIG. 2  is an exploded perspective view of the disk array device  10 . The disk array device  10  is designed to accommodate two standard hard disk drives so as to allow drive swapping, and includes two electronic device units  11  (hard disk drives), a casing  20  that houses the electronic device units  11 , and a release mechanism  30  for detachably installing the electronic device units  11 . The device is designed so that if needed, the electronic device units can be detached manually from the casing  20  through the agency of the release mechanism  30 . 
       (2)-1 Electronic Device Units  11   
       [0030]    In  FIG. 2 , the electronic device units  11  are composed of standard 3.5 inch hard disk drives, and are housed in a unit case composed of a front wall  12 , a back wall  14 , side walls  15 ,  15 , and guide wall  16 ,  16 . A connector  17  for connection to an external electronic device is provided on the back wall  14  of the electronic device unit  11 . In each of the guide wall  16 ,  16  there are formed screw holes  16   a,    16   b,    16   c  that provide the electronic device unit  11  with a standardized design for securing it to another electronic device. 
       (2)-2 Casing  20   
       [0031]    The casing  20  contains a housing space  20 S defined by a casing body  21  and a front cover  23 . The electronic device units  11  and the release mechanism  30  are housed inside the housing space  20 S. The housing space  20 S has an opening  20 Sa that is exposed to the outside when the front cover  23  is detached from the casing body  21 . The front cover  23  has cover engaging portions  23   a,    23   b  designed to engage engaging portions  21   a,    21   b  on the casing body  21 , and may be detached by pushing on a push portion  21   c  on the casing body  21 . 
       (2)-3 Release Mechanism  30   
       [0032]      FIG. 3  is an exploded perspective view of the release mechanism  30 , and 
         [0033]      FIG. 4  is a front view of the release mechanism  30 , shown with one of the electronic device units  11  installed. In  FIG. 3 , the release mechanism  30  is composed of a support frame  31  made of metal, two guide members  40 ,  40  made of resin (polycarbonate), and two ejection members  60 ,  60  made of metal. The support frame  31  includes side support plates  32 ,  33 , a lower support plate  34 , and an upper support portion  50 , which together define a cuboid. On the back portion of the support frame  31  there are provided connectors  22  for connection to the connectors  17  of the electronic device units  11  via electronic circuit boards (not shown). 
         [0034]    Each guide member  40  includes a guide body  41  secured by a catch hook to the lower support plate  34  and adapted to slide the guide wall  16  of the electronic device unit  11 , and side guides  42  formed at both sides of the guide body  41 . The side guides  42  have guide pieces  42   a  of cantilever design with protruding distal edges. A hook  43  is formed at the distal end of the guide body  41 . The hook  43  includes an elastic piece  43   a  of cantilever design, an operating projection  43   b  formed at the distal end of the elastic piece  43   a,  and a sloping guide face  43   c  formed on the front end of the operating projection  43   b.  An engaging protrusion  44  adapted to engage the screw holes  16   a  of the electronic device unit  11  projects up from the elastic piece  43   a.  The hook  43  and the engaging protrusion  44 , together with the screw holes  16   a  of the electronic device unit  11 , constitute a locking mechanism. 
         [0035]    The upper support portion  50  is disposed spanning across the top edges of the side support plates  32 ,  33  and facing the guide members  40  and is designed to support the electronic device units  11  at their other guide wall  16 , and includes a support body  51  and a back face plate  52  that inflects from one end of the support body  51 . Insertion apertures  53   a  are formed in the end part of the support body  51 . In the upper support portion  50  there are also formed a two-sided guide  53 , a guide retainer  54 , a slide projection  55 , and a stopper piece  56 , provided by way of an arrangement allowing the ejection member to slide within a prescribed range. 
         [0036]    The ejection member  60  is a component adapted to apply external force to the electronic device unit  11  in the withdrawal direction d 2 , and is slidably supported on the upper support portion  50 . The ejection member  60  includes an ejection member body  61 , a grip portion  62  formed at one end of the ejection member body  61 , and a inflected pushing portion  63  that inflects at the other end of the ejection member body  61 . At either side of the ejection member body  61 , guided portions  61   a  are formed at three locations. The guided portions  61   a  are slidably retained at both sides by the guide retainer  54  of the upper support portion  50  to ensure smooth sliding of the ejection member  60  over the upper support portion  50 . At the grip portion  62  end of the ejection member body  61  there is formed a slit  61   b  designed to provide shock absorption by pushing against the slide projection  55  to induce flexure. A guide aperture  61   c  is formed midway along the ejection member body  61 . The guide aperture  61   c  comes into abutment with the stopper piece  56  of the upper support portion  50  thereby limiting slide of the ejection member  60 . 
         [0037]    The grip portion  62  takes the form of a ring formed at the end of the ejection member body  61 , and serves as an area for the fingers to apply external force to the ejection member  60  in the withdrawal direction d 2 . The inflected pushing portion  63  includes a pushing piece  63   a  of cantilever design bending down from the end of the ejection member body  61 , and a pushing edge  63   b  that in turn bends from the distal end of the pushing piece  63   a.  The pushing edge  63   b  inflects in such a way that the pushing piece  63   a  does not come into contact with the back wall  14  of the electronic device unit  11 . 
         [0038]    According to the features of the upper support portion  50  and the ejection member  60  described above, when the grip portion  62  is grasped with the fingers and external force is applied to the ejection member  60  in the arrow direction d 2 , with the guide retainer  54  limiting backlash of the guided portions  61   a  in the perpendicular direction to the arrow direction d 2  and with contact with the slide projection  55  affording reduced friction at the lower face of the ejection member body  61 , the ejection member  60  advances to the point that the pushing edge  63   b  of the inflected pushing portion  63  pushes against the back wall  14  of the electronic device unit  11 , and moves the electronic device unit  11  towards the arrow direction d 2 . 
       (3) Operation to Eject or Install Electronic Device Units  11  in Disk Array Device  10   
     (3)-1 Electronic Device Unit  11  Ejection Operation 
       [0039]    As depicted in  FIG. 5 , to eject an electronic device unit  11  from the disk array device  10 , after turning off the power to the disk array device  10 , one pushes on the push portion  21   c  in proximity to the engaging portion  21   a  of the casing body  21  to expand the gap at the engagement location through elastic deformation, then detaches the hooks of the cover engaging portions  23   a,    23   b  of the front cover  23  from the engaging portions  21   a,    21   b  of the casing body  21  at their two fastening locations, and removes the front cover  23  from the casing body  21 . Next, the operating projection  43   b  of the hook  43  of the guide member  40  is pressed downward (arrow direction d 1 ) to induce elastic deformation of the elastic piece  43   a,  which is then maintained in this condition. At this point, as shown by the release mechanism  30  in  FIG. 6 , the engaging protrusion  44  disengages from the screw hole  16   a  of the electronic device unit  11 . Then, as shown in  FIG. 7  the grip portion  62  of the ejection member  60  is grasped with the fingers and pulled towards the arrow direction d 2  so that external force is applied to the ejection member  60  in this direction. The pushing edge  63   b  of the ejection member  60  moves it by a distance L 1  equal to its play until coming into abutment against the back wall  14  of the electronic device unit  11 . Then, as depicted in  FIG. 8  and  FIG. 9 , as the grip portion  62  is pulled, the pushing edge  63   b  pushes the back wall  14  of the electronic device unit  11  in the arrow direction d 2 . This pushing force causes the electronic device unit  11  to move across the upper face of the guide member  40  while guided by the side guides  42  (see  FIG. 3 ). At this point, the connector  17  on the electronic device unit  11  disconnects from the connector  22  of the lower support plate  34  of the support frame  31 . In this state, the operating projection  43   b  of the hook  43  is depressed by the guide wall  16  (bottom face) of the electronic device unit  11  causing the elastic piece  43   a  to flex, whereupon the engaging protrusion  44  separates from the bottom face if the electronic device unit  11  and does not become caught in the screw hole  16   a  of the electronic device unit  11  so as to impose no obstruction during sliding. Then, as depicted in  FIG. 10 , as the grip portion  62  of the ejection member  60  is pulled along, when the end edge of the guide aperture  61   c  of the ejection member  60  comes into abutment against the stopper piece  56  (see  FIG. 3 ), further movement is restricted. At this point, the front half of the electronic device unit  11  has exited through the opening  20 Sa of the casing  20 , and the electronic device unit  11  can be grasped to be remove by the user. 
       (3)-2 Electronic Device Unit  11  Installation Operation 
       [0040]    To install the electronic device unit  11  in the disk array device  10 , the user carries out an operation that is the opposite of the ejection operation described above. Specifically, starting from the state depicted in  FIG. 10 , the front half of the electronic device unit  11  is grasped while tilting it, and as shown in  FIG. 9 , is inserted through the opening  20 Sa of the housing space  20 S with the guide wall  16  positioned in contact against the inclined guide face  43   c  of the hook  43 . The guide wall  16  of the electronic device unit  11  is then placed on the guide member  40 , and the electronic device unit  11  is pushed in the arrow direction d 3 . As shown in  FIG. 7 , when the back wall  14  of the electronic device unit  11  comes into abutment against the pushing edge  63   b  of the inflected pushing portion  63  of the ejection member  60 , the ejection member  60  moves in the same direction in unison. Once the electronic device unit  11  is pushed to the back, as shown in  FIG. 6  the connector  17  of the electronic device unit  11  connects to the connector  22  of the casing  20 , and the front face of the electronic device unit  11  rides over the operating projection  43   b  of the hook  43  so that the engaging protrusion  44  integrally formed with the elastic piece  43   a  now intrudes into the screw hole  16   a  of the electronic device unit  11 , and the elastic piece  43   a  returns towards the arrow direction d 4  due to its elastic force. The engaging protrusion  44  integrally formed with the elastic piece  43   a  thereby intrudes into the screw hole  16   a  of the electronic device unit  11  so that the electronic device unit  11  is locked inside the housing space  20 S. The front cover  23  is then replaced covering the opening  20 Sa of the casing  20  as shown in  FIG. 5 . At this point, the grip portion  62 , pushed by the back face of the front cover  23 , moves to the back by a distance equal to the play of the ejection member  60 . This completes the installation operation of the electronic device unit  11 . 
         [0000]    (4) The embodiment set forth above affords the following working effects. 
         [0041]    (4)-1 As depicted in  FIG. 6 , in the release mechanism  30  of the disk array device  10 , the standard screw hole  16   a  for fastening purposes formed on the guide wall  16  of the electronic device unit  11  engages the engaging protrusion  44  of the guide member  40  and thereby utilized for positioning purposes, making the arrangement compatible with electronic device units  11  of standard design. The release mechanism  30  is thereby endowed with a simple design that does not require providing the electronic device unit  11  with separate components such as a bracket or tray. 
         [0042]    (4)-2 As depicted in  FIGS. 5 and 6 , the release mechanism  30  allows the electronic device unit  11  to be detached after removing the front cover  23 , by inducing flexure of the hook  43  and pulling the grip portion  62  of the ejection member  60 ; while the electronic device unit  11  can be installed in the housing space  20 S by inducing flexure of the hook  43  and pushing the unit on the guide member  40 . Thus, no fastening procedure using screws or the like is required to install the electronic device unit  11 , making for an extremely easy installation procedure. 
         [0043]    (4)-3 By inducing flexure of the hook  43  of the release mechanism  30  during detachment, the catch projection  44  can be disengaged from the screw hole  16   a  of the electronic device unit  11 , and during sliding of the electronic device unit  11  over the top of the upper support portion  50  does not become caught in the screw holes  16   b,    16   c , thus affording smooth attachment and detachment operations. 
         [0044]    (4)-4 The guide face  43   c  of the guide member  40  functions as a sloping face for guiding the electronic device unit  11  over the guide member  40  and inducing flexure of the hook  43 , making it easy to direct the electronic device unit  11  onto the guide member  40 . 
         [0045]    (4)-5 As depicted in  FIG. 9 , the pushing edge  63   b  of the inflected pushing portion  63  that inflects from the ejection member body  61  pushes against the back wall  14  of the electronic device unit  11  in the approximately center portion thereof so that the ejection member  60  may move the electronic device unit  11  smoothly without tilting. 
         [0046]    (4)-6 As depicted in  FIG. 6 , with the front cover  23  detached from the casing  20 , the front half of the ring-shaped grip portion  62  of the ejection member  60  is exposed, making it readily apparent that the grip portion  62  is intended to be pulled, thus providing an intuitive interface. 
         [0047]    (4)-7 With the front cover  23  detached, the ring of the grip portion  62  is partially concealed, but when pulled out gently with the fingers slides by a distance L 1  equivalent to the play of the ejection member  60  and becomes totally exposed as depicted in  FIG. 7 , and is thus easily gripped with the fingers to provide excellent ease of operation. 
         [0048]    (4)-8 As depicted in  FIGS. 7 and 9 , connection/disconnection of the connector  17  of the electronic device unit  11  and the connector  22  of the casing  20  takes place simultaneously with pulling of the ejection member  60  or pushing in of the electronic device unit  11 , thus provide excellent ease of operation during connection. 
         [0049]    (4)-9 As depicted in  FIG. 3 , the guide pieces  42   a  of the guide member  40  support the lower portion of the electronic device unit  11  by virtue of elastically deformable projections of cantilever design, thus providing smooth sliding operation of the electronic device unit  11 . 
         [0050]    It is to be understood that there is no intention to limit the invention to the embodiment disclosed herein, and that modifications such as the following are to be included among various possible alternative modes considered to fall within the spirit and scope of the invention. 
         [0051]    Whereas the preceding embodiment described the electronic device units  11  of the disk array device  10  as consisting of two 3.5-inch hard disk drives, no particular limitation is imposed thereby as to the size and number of hard disk drives, and equivalent swappable arrangements of 2.5-inch hard disk drives, or of a single or three or more hard disk drives, are acceptable as well; as are other devices such as DVD drives, or appropriate combinations of the above, provided that the devices are swappable. 
         [0052]    In the preceding embodiment, an L shaped metal fixture was employed as the ejection member for applying external force to the electronic device unit  11 , but no particular limitation is imposed thereby, and alternative means such as a component which consists of a separate element situated in proximity to the hook  43  or integrally formed with the hook would be acceptable, provided it can apply external pressure. 
         [0053]    Additionally, to ensure ease of operation while also protecting the electronic device units  11 , power to the disk array device  10  may be designed to shut off in interlocked operation with pulling of the grip portion  62 , as an alternative to carrying out the ejection or installation procedure after turning off the main switch. 
         [0054]    The foregoing detailed description of the invention has been provided for the purpose of explaining the principles of the invention and its practical application, thereby enabling others skilled in the art to understand the invention for various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. The foregoing detailed description is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise embodiments disclosed. Modifications and equivalents will be apparent to practitioners skilled in this art and are encompassed within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.