Magnetically repositionable cassettes within a data storage drive
AssigneeSeagate Technology LLC
InventorsBrett R. Herdendorf, Riyan Alex Mendonsa, Krishnan Subramanian
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The presently disclosed technology is directed to maximizing cleanliness, reliability, and space efficiency within a jukebox-style HDD, while minimizing overall cost of the HDD. In an effort to reduce the movement of a robotic arm assembly, cassettes within a jukebox-style HDD may be configured to be magnetically repositionable to replace some of the movement of the robotic arm assembly, without adding another significant source of potential mechanical failure within the HDD enclosure. Further, the overall number of moving parts is reduced, which may improve reliability of the HDD, as well as cleanliness within the HDD enclosure.
Claims20
A data storage device comprising:
- a magnetic rail assembly including two or more cassette staging positions, each of the cassette staging positions including one or more electromagnets and one of the cassette staging positions further defined as an active cassette position;
- two or more cassettes arranged on the cassette staging positions of the magnetic rail assembly, one of the cassettes arranged on the active cassette position further defined as an active cassette and each cassette including an array of data storage discs;
- and
- a shared read/write player to selectively receive one of the data storage discs from the active cassette as an active disc, the shared read/write player to perform a data access operation on the active disc.
A method of operating a data storage device comprising:
- providing a magnetic rail assembly including two or more cassette staging positions, each of the cassette staging positions including one or more electromagnets and one of the cassette staging positions further defined as an active cassette position;
- rotating two or more cassettes arranged on the cassette staging positions of the magnetic rail assembly along the magnetic rail assembly, one of the cassettes arranged on the active cassette position further defined as an active cassette and each cassette including an array of data storage discs;
- and
- receiving one of the data storage discs from the active cassette as an active disc to a shared read/write player, the shared read/write player to perform a data access operation on the active disc.
A hard disc drive comprising:
- a first magnetic rail assembly including two or more cassette staging positions, each of the cassette staging positions including one or more electromagnets and one of the cassette staging positions further defined as an first active cassette position;
- a second magnetic rail assembly including two or more cassette staging positions, each of the cassette staging positions including one or more electromagnets and one of the cassette staging positions further defined as a second active cassette position;
- two or more cassettes arranged on the cassette staging positions of the first magnetic rail assembly, one of the cassettes arranged on the first active cassette position further defined as an first active cassette and each cassette including an array of data storage discs;
- two or more cassettes arranged on the cassette staging positions of the second magnetic rail assembly, one of the cassettes arranged on the second active cassette position further defined as an second active cassette and each cassette including an array of data storage discs;
- and
- a stack of shared read/write players, each shared read/write player to selectively receive one of the data storage discs from one or both of the first active cassette and the second active cassette as an active disc, the shared read/write players to perform data access operations on the active disc.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.