External cover for controlling the temperature of an internal thermal zone of a hard disk drive

Abstract

External cover for hard disk drive with internal thermal zone, including transfer interface to internal thermal zone. Disk cover and/or disk base serving as external cover. Thermoelectric device providing heat transfers across transfer interface to exterior, to warm and cool internal thermal zone. Thermal controller providing driving signal to thermoelectric device. Fan motor powering fan moving air across thermal transfer element exterior to hard disk drive. Manufacture of external cover, and product of that process. Operation of external cover. Temperature measure for internal thermal zone. Driving signal pulse-width-modulation. Hard disk drive containing external cover. Systems using the hard disk drive with thermal conduit. These systems include, but are not limited to, a Redundant Arrays of Inexpensive Disks (RAID), a server computer, a desktop computer, and a notebook computer. Manufacturing hard disk drive and product of the process.

1 . An external cover for a hard disk drive, comprising: a transfer interface thermal-coupling an internal thermal zone of said hard disk drive to a thermoelectric device.  
   
   
       2 . The external cover of  claim 1 , wherein a disk cover serves as said external cover for said hard disk drive.  
   
   
       3 . The external cover of  claim 1 , wherein a disk base serves as said external cover to said hard disk drive.  
   
   
       4 . The external cover of  claim 1 , wherein said transfer interface provides a nearly planar surface to said thermoelectric device.  
   
   
       5 . The external cover of  claim 4 , wherein said planar surface has a surface area of at least one square inch.  
   
   
       6 . The external cover of  claim 4 , wherein said planar surface has said surface area of at most four square inches.  
   
   
       7 . The external cover of  claim 1 , further comprising: said thermoelectric device providing an exterior heat transfer interface external thermal-coupling to said exterior of said hard disk drive.  
   
   
       8 . The external cover of  claim 7 , wherein said exterior heat transfer interface external thermal-coupling to air in said exterior of said hard disk drive.  
   
   
       9 . The external cover of  claim 7 , wherein said thermoelectric device, comprising: 
 an electrical contact pair, providing enabling power for a first heat transfer from said transfer interface to said exterior heat transfer interface, and a second heat transfer from said exterior heat transfer interface to said transfer interface.    
   
   
       10 . The external cover of  claim 9 , wherein a first potential difference applied between said electrical contact pair enables said first heat transfer; and 
 wherein a second potential difference applied between said electrical contact pair enables said second heat transfer.    
   
   
       11 . The external cover of  claim 10 , wherein the sign of said first potential difference is opposite the sign of said second potential difference.  
   
   
       12 . The external cover of  claim 11 , further comprising a thermal controller receiving a temperature measure of said internal thermal zone and providing a driving signal to said first electrical contact pair.  
   
   
       13 . The external cover of  claim 12 , wherein said thermal controller providing a driving signal to said first electrical contact pair, further comprises: 
 said thermal controller forces said driving signal toward said first potential difference, when said temperature measure is greater than a top operating temperature; and    said thermal controller forces said driving signal toward said second potential difference applied, when said temperature measure is less than a lower operating temperature.    
   
   
       14 . The external cover of  claim 11 , further comprises: a second electrical contact pair driving a fan motor powering a fan to move said air across a thermal transfer element exterior to said hard disk drive.  
   
   
       15 . The external cover of  claim 14 , wherein said thermal controller further provides a fan driving signal between said second electrical contact pair to operate said fan motor.  
   
   
       16 . The external cover of  claim 15 , wherein said thermal controller provides said fan driving signal with at least one fan potential difference distinct from zero volts, when said temperature measure is one of the group consisting of: 
 said temperature measure is greater than said top operating temperature, and    said temperature measure is less than said bottom operating temperature.    
   
   
       17 . The external cover of  claim 15 , wherein said fan driving signal is at least temporarily a Direct Current (DC) signal.  
   
   
       18 . The external cover of  claim 15 , wherein said fan driving signal is at least temporarily an Alternating Current (AC) signal.  
   
   
       19 . The external cover of  claim 12 , wherein said thermal controller, further comprises at least one of: 
 a finite state machine generating a digital version of said driving signal based upon said temperature measure;    a computer accessibly coupled to a memory containing a program system including at least one program step generating a second digital version of said driving signal based upon said temperature measure; and    a neural network responding to said temperature measure to generate a third digital version of said driving signal.    
   
   
       20 . The external cover of  claim 19 , wherein said thermal controller, further comprises exactly one of: said finite state machine; said computer; and said neural network.  
   
   
       21 . The external cover of  claim 19 , wherein said program system, comprises the program step: 
 implementing said neural network responding to said temperature measure to generate said third digital version of said driving signal.    
   
   
       22 . The external cover of  claim 19 , wherein said thermal controller, further comprises: an analog circuit generating said driving signal based upon at least one of: 
 said temperature measure,    said digital version of said driving signal,    said second digital version of said driving signal, and    said third digital version of said driving signal.    
   
   
       23 . The external cover of  claim 22 , wherein said analog circuit generating said driving signal based upon exactly one of: said temperature measure, said digital version of said driving signal, said second digital version of said driving signal, and said third digital version of said driving signal.  
   
   
       24 . The external cover of  claim 1 , wherein said thermoelectric device includes at least one semiconductor device acting as a heat pump using said transfer interface to thermally-affect said internal thermal zone.  
   
   
       25 . A method of manufacturing said external cover of  claim 1 , comprising at least one of the steps of: 
 die-stamping a sheet of metal to at least partly create said external cover including said transfer interface; and    molding molten metal to at least partly create said external cover including said transfer interface.    
   
   
       26 . The method of  claim 25 , wherein said sheet of said metal includes a form of sheet stainless steel; and wherein said molten metal includes a form of molten aluminum.  
   
   
       27 . The external cover as a product of the process of  claim 25 .  
   
   
       28 . A method of operating said external cover of  claim 1 , comprising the steps: 
 said thermoelectric device enabling a first heat transfer from said internal thermal zone via said transfer interface to an exterior of said hard disk drive; and    said thermoelectric device enabling a second heat transfer from said exterior of said hard disk drive via said transfer interface to said internal thermal zone.    
   
   
       29 . The method of  claim 28 , further comprising the step: 
 providing a driving signal to an electrical contact pair coupling to said thermoelectric device to enable one of the group consisting of: said first heat transfer, said second heat transfer, and essentially no-heat transfer.    
   
   
       30 . The method of  claim 29 , wherein the step providing said driving signal, further comprises the steps: 
 forcing said driving signal toward a first potential difference to enable said first heat transfer; and    forcing said driving signal toward a second potential difference to enable said second heat transfer.    
   
   
       31 . The method of  claim 30 , further comprising the steps: 
 determining a temperature measure of said internal thermal zone;    forcing said driving signal toward said first potential difference, when said temperature measure is above a top operating temperature; and    forcing said driving signal toward said second potential difference, when said temperature measure is below a bottom operating temperature.    
   
   
       32 . The method of  claim 31 , wherein the step forcing said driving signal toward said first potential difference, further comprises the step: 
 pulse-wave-modulating said driving signal between said first potential difference and zero volts based upon said temperature measure; and    wherein the step forcing said driving signal toward said second potential difference, further comprises the step:    pulse-wave-modulating said driving signal between said second potential difference and zero volts based upon said temperature measure.    
   
   
       33 . The hard disk drive of  claim 1 , comprising: said external cover providing said transfer interface thermal-coupling to said internal thermal zone.  
   
   
       34 . The hard disk drive of  claim 33 , further comprising: said thermoelectric device thermal-coupling to said transfer interface and to an exterior heat transfer interface for heat transfers with an exterior of said hard disk drive.  
   
   
       35 . A system, comprising: said hard disk drive of  claim 34 .  
   
   
       36 . The system of  claim 35 , further comprising: a thermal conduit for said heat transfers with said exterior of said hard disk drive.  
   
   
       37 . The system of  claim 35 , wherein said system implements a Redundant Array of Inexpensive Disks (RAID).  
   
   
       38 . The system of  claim 35 , wherein said system implements a server.  
   
   
       39 . The system of  claim 35 , wherein said system implements a desktop computer.  
   
   
       40 . The system of  claim 35 , wherein said system implements a notebook computer.  
   
   
       41 . A method of making said system of  claim 35 , comprising the step: 
 providing said thermal conduit to said exterior of said hard disk drive.    
   
   
       42 . The method of  claim 41 , wherein said system includes at least two of said hard disk drives; 
 wherein said method, further comprises the step:    providing at least one of said thermal conduits to said exterior of said hard disk drive, for each of said hard disk drives.    
   
   
       43 . The system as a product of the process of  claim 41 .  
   
   
       44 . The method of making said hard disk drive of  claim 33 , comprising at least one of the steps: 
 using a disk cover as said external cover to create said hard disk drive; and    using a disk base as said external cover to create said hard disk drive.    
   
   
       45 . The method of  claim 44 , further comprising: both of said steps of  claim 44 .  
   
   
       46 . The hard disk drive, as a product of the process of  claim 44.