Storage disk module and storage disk device having a plurality of storage disk modules

Claim 2

A storage disk module as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that: said disk drive unit has a drive unit frame member; said frame has a guide member; the drive unit frame member of said disk drive unit is inserted into the guide member of said frame and is slidable with respect to the guide member.

Claim 3

A storage disk module as claimed in claim 2, characterized in that: said disk drive unit has a main body in which the storage disk is accommodated, and a vibration absorbing member; and said vibration absorbing member is interposed between the main body and the drive unit frame member.

Claim 4

A storage disk module as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that said frame has an upper opening and a lower opening.

Claim 5

A storage disk module as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that: said disk drive unit comprises a first connector; said circuit unit comprises a second connector; said power source comprises a third connector; and said storage disk module comprises fourth connectors mounted on a front surface of said back panel, said fourth connectors engaging with the first, second and third connectors.

Claim 6

A storage disk module as claimed in claim 5, characterized in that: said storage disk module comprises fifth connectors mounted on a back surface of said back panel; said fifth connectors are electrically connected to said fourth connectors; and said fifth connectors are used for electrically connecting said storage disk module to an external device.

Claim 7

A storage disk module as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that: said frame has a guide member; and said circuit unit engages with the guide member and is slidable with respect to the guide member.

Claim 8

A storage disk module as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that: said frame has a guide member; and said power source engages with the guide member and is slidable with respect to the guide member.

Claim 9

A storage disk module as claimed in claim 5, characterized in that: said disk drive unit comprises a printed circuit board having first through holes; said frame has projections having second screw holes; said first connector is fixed to the printed circuit board; and the printed circuit board is secured to the projections by screws passing through the first through holes and engaging with the second screw holes.

Claim 10

A storage disk module as claimed in claim 9, characterized in that each of the first through holes has a size greater than a diameter of each of the screws so that the printed circuit board is movably attached to the projections.

Claim 11

A storage disk module as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that: said frame has a first accommodation area and a second accommodation area arranged side by side; said disk drive unit is accommodated in the first accommodation area; and said circuit unit and said power source are accommodated in the second accommodation area and arranged side by side.

Claim 12

A storage disk module as claimed in claim 11, characterized in that the first accommodation area has a depth substantially equal to that of the second accommodation area.

Claim 13

A storage disk module as claimed in claim 11, characterized in that the first accommodation area has a depth different from that of the second accommodation area.

Claim 14

A storage disk module as claimed in claim 11, characterized in that the first accommodation area has a depth greater than that of the second accommodation area.

Claim 15

A storage disk module as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that said frame has a front opening through which said disk drive unit, said circuit unit and said power source can be detached from the frame.

Claim 16

A storage disk module as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that said disk drive unit comprises a magnetic disk.

Claim 17

A storage disk module as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that said disk drive unit comprises an optical disk.

Claim 18

A storage disk device comprising: a locker (60); and a plurality of storage disk modules (50) accommodated in said locker, characterized in that each of said storage disk modules comprises: a frame (10); a disk drive unit (20) having a storage disk, said disk drive unit being accommodated in the frame; a circuit unit (31) for controlling said disk drive unit, said circuit unit being accommodated in the frame; a power source (30) for supplying said disk drive unit and the circuit unit with energy, said power source being accommodated in the frame, and said disk drive unit, said circuit unit and said power source being arranged side by side in the frame in a direction perpendicular to a direction in which said storage disk module is inserted into a locker; and a back panel (40) formed in a back portion of the frame, said back panel electrically connecting said disk drive unit, said circuit unit and said power source to each other.

Claim 19

A storage disk device as claimed in claim 18, characterized in that: said locker has a front opening and a back opening; a first one of said storage disk modules is inserted into said locker via said front opening; a second one of said storage disk modules is inserted into said locker via said back opening; and said first one of the storage disk modules has a back surface opposed to that of said second one of the storage disk modules.

Claim 20

A storage disk device as claimed in claim 18, characterized in that: each of said storage disk modules comprises a connector mounted on a front end of said circuit unit; and said connector of one of the storage disk modules is connected, via a cable, to said connector of a different one of the storage disk modules.

Claim 21

A storage disk device as claimed in claim 18, characterized in that: each of said storage disk modules comprises a first connector mounted on a back surface of said back panel; said storage disk device comprises a second connector attached to said locker; and said first connector engages with said second connector.

Claim 22

A disk storage device as claimed in claim 18, characterized in that: said disk drive unit of each of said storage disk modules comprises a first connector; said circuit unit of each of said storage disk modules comprises a second connector; said power source of each of said storage disk modules comprises a third connector; and each of said storage disk modules comprises fourth connectors mounted on a front surface of said back panel, said fourth connectors engaging with the first, second and third connectors.

Claim 23

A storage disk device as claimed in claim 22, characterized in that: each of said storage disk modules comprises fifth connectors mounted on a back surface of said back panel; said fifth connectors are electrically connected to said fourth connectors; and said locker comprises sixth connectors engaged with and connected to said fifth connectors.

Claim 24

A storage disk device as claimed in claim 23, characterized in that: said locker comprises a projection on which said sixth connectors related to each of said storage disk modules are mounted; said frame of each of said storage disk modules has a recess in which said fifth connectors are located; and said projection is fitted into said recess so that the fifth connectors engage with the sixth connectors.

Claim 25

A storage disk device as claimed in claim 18, characterized in that: said storage disk modules are arranged in columns; said frame of each of said storage disk modules has an upper opening and a lower opening; and the storage disk modules located in an identical column forms a duct structure through which air flows.

Claim 26

A storage disk device as claimed in claim 25, characterized in that: each of said storage disk modules has a front opening; and said storage disk device comprises a first door closing a front opening of said locker, and a second door closing a back opening of said locker.

Claim 27

A storage disk device as claimed in claim 18, characterized in that: each of said storage disk modules comprises a first accommodation area in which said disk drive unit is accommodated, and a second accommodtion area in which said circuit unit and said power source are accommodated; said first accommodation area has a depth different from that of said second accommodation area; a first one of the storage disk modules and a second one of the storage disk modules are arranged so that the first accommodation area of said first one of the storage disk modules is opposed to the second accommodation area of said second one of the storage disk modules.

Claim 28

A storage disk device as claimed in claim 18, characterized in that: the storage disk modules are arranged in columns, each of the columns N including storage disk modules where N is smaller than a total number of said storage disk modules; said storage disk device comprises module cooling means, provided for each of the columns, for cooling said storage disk modules.

Claim 29

A storage disk device as claimed in claim 28, characterized in that: said module cooling means comprises M cooling devices provided for each of the columns where M is an integer larger than one; and said storage disk device comprises control means for detecting a fault in the M cooling devices provided for each of the columns and for increasing a revolution of a first one of the M cooling devices provided for each of the columns when the fault has occurred in a second one of the M cooling devices provided in a same column as said first one of the M cooling devices.

Claim 30

A storage disk device as claimed in claim 29, characterized in that each of said cooling devices is a cooling fan.

Claim 31

A storage disk device as claimed in claim 29, characterized in that said control means comprises scan means for sequentially supervising the M cooling devices provided for each of the columns.

Claim 32

A storage disk device as claimed in claim 18, characterized in that said storage disk modules is grouped into N groups where N is an integer, characterized in that said storage disk device comprises: a plurality of cooling devices for each of the M groups; and a plurality of control means, provided for the M groups, for separately scanning the cooling devices in the M groups in order to detect a fault in the cooling devices in the M groups and for increasing, when the fault has occurred in one of the cooling devices, a cooling ability of a different one of the cooling devices provided in a same column as said one of the cooling devices having the fault.

Claim 33

A storage disk device as claimed in claim 32, characterized in that each of said plurality of control means sequentially accesses the storage disk devices in a corresponding one of the N groups.

Claim 34

A storage disk device as claimed in claim 18, characterized in that said storage disk device comprises: a plurality of cooling devices grouped into a plurality of groups; and a plurality of power sources for separately supplying the cooling devices with energy.

Claim 35

A storage disk device as claimed in claim 34, characterized in that said storage disk device comprises control means for detecting a fault in the power sources and for supplying, when it is detected that one of the power sources has the fault, the cooling devices connected to said one of the power sources with energy from a different one of the power sources.

Claim 36

A storage disk device as claimed in claim 18, characterized in that: the storage disk modules are arranged in columns; a plurality of cooling devices are provided for each of the columns; and the cooling devices are located at upper and intermediate portions of each of the columns.

Claim 37

A storage disk module as claimed in claim 18, characterized in that: said disk drive unit of each of the storage disk modules has a drive unit frame member; said frame has a guide member; the drive unit frame member of said disk drive unit is inserted into the guide member of said frame and is slidable with respect to the guide member.

Claim 38

A storage disk module as claimed in claim 37, characterized in that: said disk drive unit has a main body in which the storage disk is accommodated, and a vibration absorbing member; and said vibration absorbing member is interposed between the main body and the drive unit frame member.

Claim 39

A storage disk module as claimed in claim 18, characterized in that: said frame has a guide member; and said circuit unit engages with the guide member and is slidable with respect to the guide member.

Claim 40

A storage disk module as claimed in claim 18, characterized in that: said frame has a guide member; and said power source engages with the guide member and is slidable with respect to the guide member.

Claim 41

A storage disk device comprising: a locker (409); and N storage disk modules (430a, 431a, 432a, 433a, 430b, 431b, 432b, 433b) where N is an integer, said N storage disk modules being grouped into a plurality of groups, characterized in that said storage disk device comprises: N x M cooling devices (410-413, 420-423), each of the N x M cooling devices being provided for M storage disk modules among said plurality of storage disk modules where M is an integer; power source means (406a, 406b) for supplying the N x M cooling devices with energy; and a plurality of control means (407a, 407b), respectively provided for the groups and connected to each other via control lines (L1, L2), for detecting a fault occurring in at least one of the cooling devices in a corresponding one of the groups and for sending, via a corresponding one of the control ines, to a corresponding one of the plurality of control means an instruction to increase a cooling ability of at least one cooling device which is in one of the groups other than said corresponding one of the groups and which is related to said at least one of the cooling devices in which the fault has occurred.