# US 11,308,990 B1 · Selectively routing signals to data storage devices within a data storage system that includes a movable carriage > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,308,990 B1 - Document ID: US11308990B1 - Status: Granted - Kind: B1 - Application number: 17/072,930 - Filed: 2020-10-16 - Published: 2022-04-21 - Granted: 2022-04-19 - Earliest claimed: 2020-10-16 - Assignees: Seagate Technology LLC - Applicants: Seagate Technology LLC - Inventors: Riyan Mendonsa; Brett Herdendorf; Krishnan Subramanian; Jon Trantham - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11308990B1 ## CPC - G11B 19/28: Speed controlling, regulating, or indicating (G11B19/24 takes precedence) - G11B 33/126: {Arrangements for providing electrical connections, e.g. connectors, cables, switches} - G11B 33/127: {Mounting arrangements of constructional parts onto a chassis} - G11B 33/128: {of the plurality of recording/reproducing devices, e.g. disk drives, onto a chassis} - H05K 5/0247: {Electrical details of casings, e.g. terminals, passages for cables or wiring} - H05K 5/0256: {of interchangeable modules or receptacles therefor, e.g. cartridge mechanisms} - G11B 17/225: {wherein the disks are transferred from a fixed magazine to a fixed playing unit using a moving carriage} - H05K 7/1492: {having electrical distribution arrangements, e.g. power supply or data communications} - G11B: INFORMATION STORAGE BASED ON RELATIVE MOVEMENT BETWEEN RECORD CARRIER AND TRANSDUCER (recording measured values in a way that does not require playback through a transducer G01D9/00; recording or playback apparatus using mechanically marked tape, e.g. punched paper tape, or using unit records, e.g. punched or magnetically marked cards G06K; transferring data from one type of record carrier to another G06K1/18; circuits for coupling output of reproducer to radio receiver H04B1/20; gramophone pick-ups or like acoustic electromechanical transducers or circuits therefor H04R) - H05K: PRINTED CIRCUITS; CASINGS OR CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS OF ELECTRIC APPARATUS; MANUFACTURE OF ASSEMBLAGES OF ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS ## Abstract An apparatus includes a housing, a data storage magazine configured to hold a plurality of data storage devices, and a movable carriage disposed within the housing that is configured to selectively couple the data storage devices to a host device. The data storage magazine includes a set of magazine signal paths configured to provide signals to the plurality of data storage devices. The movable carriage includes a set of carriage signal paths configured to provide signals to the plurality of data storage devices. The apparatus includes a controller configured to power the plurality of data storage devices by selectively routing the signals via the set of magazine signal paths or the set of carriage signal paths. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An apparatus comprising: a housing; a data storage magazine configured to hold a plurality of data storage devices, the data storage magazine including a set of magazine signal paths configured to provide signals to the plurality of data storage devices; a movable carriage disposed within the housing, the movable carriage configured to selectively couple the data storage devices to a host device and including a set of carriage signal paths configured to provide signals to the plurality of data storage devices; and a controller configured to power the plurality of data storage devices by selectively routing a signal via the set of magazine signal paths or the set of carriage signal paths. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to selectively route the signal by being configured to route the signal to the plurality of data storage devices via the set of magazine signal paths when the carriage is not coupled to the plurality of data storage devices. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the plurality of data storage devices each include magnetic recording media and a spindle motor configured to rotate the magnetic recording media, and wherein the controller adjusts a rotational speed of the magnetic recording media by routing the signal via the set of magazine signal paths. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to selectively route the signal by being configured to route the signal to the plurality of data storage devices via the set of carriage signal paths when the carriage is coupled to the plurality of data storage devices. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the data storage magazine is a first data storage magazine, the plurality of data storage devices is a first plurality of data storage magazines, the set of magazine signal paths is a first set of magazine signal paths, and the signal is a first signal, the apparatus further comprising: a second data storage magazine configured to hold a second plurality of data storage devices, the second data storage magazine including a second set of magazine signal paths configured to provide a second signal to the second plurality of data storage devices, wherein the controller is further configured to route the second signal to the second plurality of data storage devices via the second set of magazine signal paths while routing the first signal to the first plurality of data storage devices. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the controller is configured to route the second signal to the second plurality of data storage devices while routing the first signal to the first plurality of data storage devices via the set of carriage signal paths. ### Claim 7 (depends on 5) The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the controller is configured to route the second signal to the second plurality of data storage devices while routing the first signal to the first plurality of data storage devices via the first set of magazine signal paths. ### Claim 8 (depends on 5) The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the controller is configured to: decouple the movable carriage from the first plurality of data storage devices; provide the first signal to the first plurality of data storage devices via the first set of magazine signal paths after decoupling the movable carriage from the first plurality of data storage devices; provide the second signal to the second plurality of data storage devices via the second set of magazine signal paths while moving the movable carriage from a first lateral position to a second lateral position, couple the movable carriage to the second plurality of data storage devices; and provide the second signal to the second plurality of data storage devices via the set of carriage signal paths after coupling the movable carriage to the second plurality of data storage devices. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The apparatus of claim 8, wherein each data storage device of the first plurality of data storage devices includes magnetic recording media and a spindle motor configured to rotate the magnetic recording media, and wherein the controller is configured to decrease a rotational speed of the magnetic recording media by providing the first signal to the first plurality of data storage devices via the first set of magazine signal paths after decoupling the movable carriage from the first plurality of data storage devices. ### Claim 10 (depends on 8) The apparatus of claim 8, wherein each data storage device of the second plurality of data storage devices includes magnetic recording media and a spindle motor configured to rotate the magnetic recording media, and wherein the controller is configured to increase a rotational speed of the magnetic recording media by providing the second signal to the second plurality of data storage devices via the second set of magazine signal paths prior to coupling the movable carriage from the second plurality of data storage devices. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the data storage magazine includes a printed circuit board that includes the set of magazine signal paths. ### Claim 12 A method comprising: while a movable carriage is decoupled from a plurality of data storage devices held by a data storage magazine, providing current to the plurality of data storage devices via a set of magazine signal paths of the data storage magazine; coupling the movable carriage to the plurality of data storage devices; and responsive to coupling the movable carriage to the plurality of data storage devices, providing the current to the plurality of data storage devices via a set of carriage signal paths of the movable carriage. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The method of claim 12, wherein providing the current to the plurality of data storage devices via the set of magazine signal paths includes adjusting a rotational speed of magnetic recording media of the plurality of data storage devices. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13, wherein adjusting the rotational speed of the magnetic recording media includes increasing the rotational speed from an idle speed or a standstill to an operational speed at which the plurality of data storage devices are configured to perform read operations or write operations. ### Claim 15 (depends on 12) The method of claim 12, wherein the data storage magazine is a first data storage magazine, the plurality of data storage devices is a first plurality of data storage devices, and the set of magazine signal paths is a first set of magazine signal paths, the method further comprising: prior to coupling the movable carriage to the first plurality of data storage devices: providing a second current to a second plurality of data storage devices via the set of carriage signal paths of the movable carriage; decoupling the movable carriage from the second plurality of data storage devices; and providing the second current to the second plurality of data storage devices via a second set of magazine signal paths of a second data storage magazine after the movable carriage is decoupled from the second plurality of data storage devices. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The method of claim 15, wherein providing the second current to the second plurality of data storage devices via the second set of magazine signal paths includes decreasing a rotational speed of magnetic recording media of the second plurality of data storage devices. ### Claim 17 (depends on 15) The method of claim 15, further comprising: moving the movable carriage from a first location to a second location, wherein the first location aligns a set of carriage interconnects of the movable carriage with a set of drive interconnects of the first plurality of data storage devices, wherein the second location aligns the set of carriage interconnects of the movable carriage with a set of drive interconnects of the second plurality of data storage devices, wherein providing the first current to the first plurality of data storage devices via the first set of magazine signal paths includes simultaneously providing the second current to the second plurality of data storage devices via the second set of magazine signal paths while moving the movable carriage from the first location to the second location. ### Claim 18 (depends on 15) The method of claim 15, further comprising: braking the magnetic recording media of the second plurality of data storage devices by shunting the second current after providing the second current to the second plurality of data storage devices. ### Claim 19 (depends on 12) The method of claim 12, wherein providing the current to the plurality of data storage devices via the magazine signal paths includes providing the current to a plurality of spindle motors configured to rotate magnetic recording media of the data storage devices without providing the current to the read/write circuitry of the plurality of data storage devices. ### Claim 20 A device comprising: a processor; a memory comprising instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to: selectively route current to a plurality of data storage devices held by a data storage magazine by: routing the current via a set of carriage signal paths of a movable carriage when the movable carriage is coupled to the plurality of data storage devices; and routing the current via a set of magazine signal paths of the data storage magazine when the movable carriage is not coupled to the plurality of data storage devices.