Patent Publication Number: US-6992885-B2

Title: External connection device for a storage device

Description:
BACKGROUND OF INVENTION 
   1. Field of the Invention 
   The invention relates to an external connection device for placing and connecting a storage device, and more particularly, to an external connection device with a mesh area that is formed with a plurality of meshes to lower the temperature of the storage device. 
   2. Description of the Prior Art 
   Data is recorded in digital form for rapid and convenient transmission. As quantities of digital data increase, kinds of digital data storage devices (such as hard disks, CD-ROM drives, or memory cards) appear continually. External connection devices provide an interface for conveniently replacing and installing the storage devices. 
   Please refer to  FIG. 1 , which is a diagram showing an external connection device  10  according to prior art. The external connection device  10  holds a hard disk and provides electric energy and a transmission interface to the hard disk. The external connection device  10  comprises a housing  12  and the hard disk is installed in the housing  12 . The external connection device  10  further comprises a transmission interface for controlling data access to and from the hard disk, and a DC power input terminal electrically connected to a power supply for providing electric energy. Besides having a data I/O port and a DC power input terminal at the rear side, the housing  12  is airtight. When operating, redundant heat generated by the hard disk will reduce stability and lifetime of the hard disk. 
   SUMMARY OF INVENTION 
   It is therefore a primary objective of the claimed invention to provide an external connection device with effective temperature dissipation to solve the above-mentioned problem. 
   The external connection device is used for installing a storage device. The storage device has a storage media for storing data, a power input port for receiving power and a first signal I/O port for transmitting signals. The external connection device has a housing, at least one power terminal, at least one signal terminal, a power output port, and a second signal I/O port. A chamber for placing the storage device is formed in the housing. The housing has at least one cover and a mesh area. The cover covers the chamber and can be bare-handedly disassembled, and the mesh area has a plurality of meshes that allow air to pass in and out of the chamber. The power output port is electrically connected between the power terminal and the power input port for providing electric energy to the hard disk. The signal terminal delivers data recorded in the storage media to an electric device. The second signal I/O port is electrically connected between the first signal I/O port and the signal terminal such that the data recorded in the storage media can be delivered to the electric device through the second signal I/O port and the signal terminal. 
   It is an advantage of the claimed invention that the housing has a mesh area so that the meshes allow air to pass in and out of the chamber. The external connection device of the present invention has more effective temperature dissipation than conventional one. 
   It is a further advantage of the claimed invention that the cover covers the chamber and can be bare-handedly disassembled. Users can install and disassemble the hard disk without tools. 
   These and other objectives of the present invention will no doubt become obvious to those of ordinary skill in the art after reading the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment that is illustrated in the various figures and drawings. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  is a diagram of an external connection device according to prior art. 
       FIG. 2  is a diagram of an external connection device according to present invention. 
       FIG. 3  is a diagram of the mesh area. 
       FIG. 4  is a functional block diagram showing the hard disk and the external connection device shown in  FIG. 2  connected an electric device. 
       FIG. 5  is a three-dimensional rear view of the base of the housing. 
       FIG. 6  is a magnified diagram of part of the base of the external connection device. 
       FIG. 7  is a diagram of the support of the external connection device. 
       FIG. 8  is a diagram showing the housing placed on the support shown in  FIG. 7 . 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     FIG. 2  is a diagram of the external connection device  30  according to the present invention. In this embodiment, a storage device  90  installed in the external connection device  30  is a hard disk, but storage devices installed in the external connection device  30  can also be CD-ROM drives, floppy disk drives, ZIP drives, and so on. The external connection device  30  comprises a housing  40  in which a chamber  46  is fashioned for placing the hard disk  90 . The housing  40  is formed by a base  42  and a cover  44 . The base  42  comprises a first surface  51 , a second surface  52 , a third surface  53 , a fourth surface  54 , and a fifth surface  55 , and the cover  44  comprises a sixth surface  56 . The chamber  46  is surrounded by the six surfaces  51 – 56 . The first surface  51 , the second surface  52 , and the third surface  53  comprise a mesh area  80  shown in  FIG. 3 . The mesh area  80  has a plurality of meshes  82  and allows air to pass in and out of the chamber  46 . Additionally, the housing  40  is made with metallic material and has effective temperature dissipation. 
   When installing the hard disk  90  into the chamber  46 , the hard disk  90  is screwed in the chamber  46  by two screws  74  to secure the hard disk  90 . As  FIG. 2  shows, two holes  72  are designed on the fifth surface  55  of the base  42 , and the screws  74  can be screwed into bottom of the hard disk  90  through the holes  72 . After installing the hard disk  90  into the chamber  46 , the cover  44  of the housing  40  covers the chamber  46  to protect the hard disk  90 . In this embodiment, the base  42  of the housing  40  further comprises four transparent pillars  61 ,  62 ,  63 , and  64 . Each of the pillars  61 ,  62 ,  63 , or  64  is set between two surfaces among the first surface  51 , the second surface  52 , the third surface  53 , and the fourth surface  54 , and connects the four surfaces  51 – 54  of the base  42 . Each of the pillars  61 ,  62 ,  63 , or  64  is designed with a screw hole  65  to fix the screws  68 . In addition, four holes  66  are formed on the cover  44 , and four screws  68  can be screwed into the screw holes  65  of the pillars  61 – 64  through the holes  66  to tightly fix the cover  44  to the base  42 . The screws  68  and  74  can be bare-handedly disassembled without tools. The screw nuts are large in circumference, and users can twist the screw nuts of the screws  68  and  74  to disassemble the screws  68  and  74 . 
   Please refer to  FIG. 4  and  FIG. 5  for a further explanation of the functions of the external connection device  30 .  FIG. 4  is a functional block diagram showing the hard disk  90  and the external connection device  30  shown in  FIG. 2  connected to an electric device  20 .  FIG. 5  is a three-dimensional rear view of the base  42  of the housing  40  in  FIG. 2 . A matter needing attention is that  FIG. 4  shows connection of the signal line and the power line between the hard disk  90 , the external connection device  30 , and the electric device  20 , and it seems the hard disk  90  is placed outside the external connection device  30  in  FIG. 4 , but actually the hard disk  90  is installed in the chamber  46  of the external connection device  30 . 
   In this embodiment, the electric device  20  is a personal computer including a connection port  22  and a process circuit  28 . The connection port  22  can be a universal serial bus port (USB port), an IEEE 1394 connection port, or a serial advanced technology attachment (serial ATA) connection port, and the connection port  22  includes at least one power terminal  24  for outputting power energy and at least one signal terminal  26  for transmitting signals. The process circuit  28  is a central processing unit (CPU) for processing data and signals of the electric device  20 . Corresponding to the connection port  22  of the electric device  20 , the external connection device  30  includes a connection port  112  of the same protocol standard as the connection port  22 , which means that the connection port  112  can be a USB port, a IEEE 1394 connection port, or a serial ATA connection port. A transmission cable  130  connects the connection port  22  and the connection port  112 . 
   Additionally, the connection port  112  also includes a power terminal  114  and a signal terminal  116 . The power terminal  114  is electrically connected to the power terminal  24  of the connection port  22  for receiving power energy, and the signal terminal  116  is electrically connected to the signal terminal  26  of the connection port  22  for exchanging data with the signal terminal  26 . Therefore, by connecting the connection port  22  and the connection port  112 , the electric device  20  can output power energy to the external connection device  30  through the power terminal  24  and  114 , and can receive and transmit signals to the external connection device  30  through the signal terminals  26  and  116 . In addition, the primary objective of the external connection device  30  is placing the hard disk  90  and being an interface for power supply and data transmission between the hard disk  90  and the electric device  20 , and is described in detail below. 
   Please refer to  FIG. 4  and  FIG. 5 , the hard disk  90  includes a power input port  92 , a first signal I/O port  94 , a storage media  96 , and a motor  98 . The power input port  92  is electrically connected to a power output port  102  of the external connection device  30  for receiving power energy. The first signal I/O port  94  is electrically connected to a second signal I/O port  104  of the external connection device  30  for transmitting data to the second signal I/O port  104  and receiving control signals from the second signal I/O port  104 . The storage media  96  is a magnetic disk that utilizes magnetism to record digital data in “0” and “1”. The motor  98  drives the storage media  96  to rotate, and allows the magnetic head of the hard disk  90  to access data stored in the storage media  96 . In addition, as mentioned above, the storage device  90  can be another type of data storage devices, such as a CD-ROM drive. If the storage device  90  is a CD-ROM drive, the storage media  96  means a compact disc (CD) that utilizes different reflection ratios to record data. 
   Moreover, the external connection device  30  further comprises a logic circuit  100 , a power connector  124 , and a power switch  120 . The power output port  102 , the second signal output port  104 , and the connection port  112  are electrically connected to the logic circuit  100 . The logic circuit  100  controls the signal transmission between the signal terminal  116  and the second signal I/O port  104 , and allows the electric device  20  to access data stored in the storage media  96  of the hard disk  90 . When the electric device  20  reads data stored in the storage media  96 , the electric device  20  will send a read control signal. The read control signal is sequentially sent through the signal terminal  26  of the connection port  22 , the signal terminal  116  of the connection port  112 , the logic circuit  100 , the second signal I/O port  104 , the first signal I/O port  94 , and to the hard disk  90 . After receiving the read control signal, the hard disk  90  will read out corresponding data from the storage media  96 . The corresponding data is sequentially sent through the first signal I/O port  94 , the second signal I/O port  104 , the logic circuit  100 , the signal terminal  116 , the signal terminal  26 , and to the electric device  20 . In addition, when data is transmitted from the electric device  20  to the hard disk  90  for storage, the transmission route is also sequentially through the signal terminal  26 , the signal terminal  116 , the logic circuit  100 , the second signal I/O port  104 , the first signal I/O port  94 , and to the hard disk  90 . 
   In addition, the external connection device  30  is electrically connected to an external power supply  118  through the power connector  124 , and the power supply  118  is electrically connected to an external power  122  for transforming the AC voltage of the power  122  to a stable DC voltage that is provided to the external connection device  30 . A portion of power energy supplied to the hard disk  90  is provided by the power terminal  114  and the other portion is provided by the power supply  118 . If the power energy supplied to the external connection device  30  from the power terminal  24  and  114  is sufficient, it is not necessary to provide the power connector  124  and the power supply  118  in this embodiment. 
   Furthermore, the power switch  120  controls power energy of the external connection device  30  to close and open. When users need to separate the external connection device  30  from the electric device  20 , users can close the external connection device  30  with the power switch  120  and then remove the transmission cable  130  from the connection port  112 . Similarly, when users need to connect the external connection device  30  to the electric device  20 , users can connect the transmission cable  130  to the connection port  112  and open the power switch  120 . 
   In addition, as  FIG. 5  shows, the external connection device further comprises a circuit board  50 . The circuit board  50  is placed at a flank of the chamber  46  and is next to the fourth surface  54  of the base  42 . The logic circuit  100  is formed on the circuit board  50 , and the power output port  102 , the second signal I/O port  104 , the connection port  112 , and the power switch  120  are all connected to the circuit board  50 . The power connector  124 , the power switch  120 , and the connection port  112  are exposed on the fourth surface  54  of the base  42  for convenient operation. Besides, as  FIG. 2  shows, when the hard disk  90  is installed in the chamber  46 , the hard disk  90  is next to the circuit board  50  without overlapping. This type of installation can reduce thickness of the external connection device  30 . Certainly, the circuit board  50  can be also placed on bottom of the chamber  46  and when the hard disk  90  is installed in the chamber  46 , the hard disk  90  is above and overlaps the circuit board  50 . This type of installation can reduce length of the external connection device  30 . 
   Please refer to  FIG. 6 , which is a magnified diagram near the transparent pillars  61  of the base  42  of the external connection device  30  in  FIG. 2 . As  FIG. 4  and  FIG. 6  show, the external connection device  30  further comprises a read-write state indicator  106  and a power indicator  107  respectively installed on the second surface  52  and the first surface  51 . The read-write state indicator  106  and the power indicator  107  are electrically connected to the logic circuit  100 . The read-write state indicator  106  indicates read and write states of the hard disk  90 , and the power indicator  107  indicates power supply state of the hard disk  90 . When power energy is supplied to the hard disk  90 , the power indicator  107  will illuminate. The logic circuit  100  controls the read-write state indicator  106  in accordance with the operation mode of the hard disk  90  to show the read-write state of the hard disk  90 . 
   In this embodiment, the read-write state indicator  106  and the power indicator  107  respectively include a light guide tube  109  and two illuminants  108 . These two illuminants  108  are placed at two ends of the light guide tube  109 , and the light guide tube  109  can guide light from the illuminants  108  and uniformly disperse the light. Since the logic circuit  100  controls the illuminants  108  of the read-write state indicator  106  in accordance with the operation mode of the hard disk  90 , the illuminants  108  of the read-write state indicator  106  illuminate in accordance with the read-write state of the hard disk  90 . 
   For convenient placement of the external connection device  30 , the external connection device  30  further includes a support  140  for fixing the housing  40  of the external connection device  30 . Please refer to  FIG. 7  and  FIG. 8 .  FIG. 7  is a diagram showing the support  140  of the external connection device  30  and  FIG. 8  is a diagram showing the housing  40  placed on the support  140 . As  FIG. 7  shows, the support  140  comprises two ridges  142  and  144 . The ridges  142  and  144  respectively have a plane  146  and another plane  148 , and the planes  146  and  148  are opposite. Between the planes  146  and  148 , a fillister  150  is formed, and the housing  40  can be placed in the fillister  150 . When the housing  40  is placed in the fillister  150 , the fillister  150  will fix the two surfaces  55  and  56  of the housing  40  and support the housing  30 . 
   For improving the temperature dissipation of the external connection device  30 , the external connection device  30  further comprises a fan  110  (as  FIG. 4  shows) for circulating air passing in and out of the chamber  46 . When the hard disk  90  is operating, the redundant heat generated by the hard disk  90  can be effectively dissipated. 
   In contrast to the prior art, the external connection device of present invention has a mesh area. The mesh area allows air to pass in and out of the chamber so that the redundant heat of the hard disk can be effectively dissipated when operating. The temperature of the storage device placed in the chamber can be effectively controlled. The stability and lifetime of the external connection device are successfully improved. 
   Those skilled in the art will readily observe that numerous modifications and alterations of the device may be made while retaining the teachings of the invention. Accordingly, the above disclosure should be construed as limited only by the metes and bounds of the appended claims.