Abstract: A cylindrical array of tightly spaced optical discs are each positioned vertically on edge to form a horizontal stack. Lifting a subset of optical discs enables that subset of optical discs to be grasped by their perimeters with much more room for robotic grippers between adjacent optical discs. An optical disc storage container includes a molded tray for vertically aligning a plurality of optical discs into the cylindrical array. The molded tray includes a bottom surface and side surfaces to support the optical discs and one or more openings formed in the bottom surface. A lifting mechanism is positioned along the one or more openings and is configured to lift the subset of optical discs a short distance relative to the remaining optical discs in the array, thereby enabling robotic grippers to grab the portion of the lifted optical disc protruding from the non-lifted optical disc array.

Abstract: An intelligent entrance guard unlocking method includes: transmitting electric energy of a power unit of a intelligent entrance guard in a wireless electromagnetic radiation via a transmit coil; receiving the electric energy via a receiver coil of a powerless smart key; capturing a palm print image and storing the palm print image in a second storage unit of the powerless smart key; controlling a wireless transmit unit of the powerless smart key to transmit a wireless signal containing the palm print image to the intelligent entrance guard; obtaining a predefined palm print image from a first storage unit and comparing the palm print image with the predefined palm print image; unlocking the intelligent entrance guard when the palm print image matches with the predefined palm print image and not unlocking the intelligent entrance guard when the palm print image does not match with the predefined palm print image.

Abstract: A pivot assembly bearing includes a shaft, a sleeve provided coaxially with the shaft, and a pair of rolling bearings arranged to be separated from each other in an axial direction between the shaft and the sleeve. The sleeve includes a ventilation path configured to communicate a region surrounded by the shaft, the pair of rolling bearings, and the sleeve with the outside of the sleeve.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, a suspension assembly includes a support plate, a trace member on the support plate and a drive element mounted on the trace member. The trace member includes a metal plate, and a multilayered member on the metal plate. The multilayered member includes a first insulating layer, a conductive layer stacked on the first insulating layer, a second insulating layer stacked on the conductive layer. The multilayered member includes a mount portion on which the drive element is mounted, and a branching portion arranged along the mount portion with a gap therebetween. At least one portion of the branching portion is formed into a thin portion having a thickness less than other portions of the multilayered member.

Abstract: One or more processors determine wear for a robotic device. The one or more processors divide a direction of travel of a robotic device into zones. Each zone has an associated counter that counts how many times the robotic device has entered a given zone. The one or more processors update a count for a zone in response to the robotic device entering that zone. The one or more processors determine a level of wear for a component associated with the robotic device. The level of wear is based, at least in part, on a total of counts for the zones.

Abstract: A head gimbal assembly for a disk drive includes a flexure tail terminal region having flexure bond pads in electrical communication with the head. Each of the flexure bond pads includes a widened region of a corresponding one of a plurality of electrical traces in a conductive layer, and a discontinuous bond pad backing island in a structural layer that overlaps the widened region. The flexure tail terminal region also includes a plurality of discontinuous edge stiffener islands in the structural layer that do not overlap the widened region of any flexure bond pad, and that are disposed no more than 50 microns from one of the two opposing longitudinal outer edges of the flexure tail terminal region. At least one of the plurality of discontinuous bond pad backing islands is disposed no more than 50 microns from one of the two opposing longitudinal outer edges.

Abstract: Various embodiments concern a suspension assembly of a disk drive. The suspension assembly includes a load beam comprising a major planar area formed from a substrate. The load beam further comprises a window in the substrate, a dimple formed from the substrate, and a flange. The flange is a region of the major planar area that extends partially around the dimple but does not extend along an edge of the dimple. The edge of the dimple is adjacent to the window. The dimple is in contact with the flexure. A HAMR block or other element can extend through the window. The lack of a full flange can minimize the necessary clearance between the dimple and the HAMR block or other element and thereby allow the window to be enlarged to accommodate the HAMR block or other element.

Abstract: A flexure tail of a head suspension assembly includes a structural layer, a conductive layer, a dielectric layer between the structural and conductive layers, and an insulative cover layer disposed on the conductive layer. The conductive layer includes a plurality of flexure bond pads in a terminal region of the flexure tail. The insulative cover layer includes a plurality of openings that expose each of the plurality of flexure bond pads. The dielectric layer defines a first thickness between the structural layer and the conductive layer at each of the plurality of flexure bond pads. The dielectric layer also defines a second thickness between the structural layer and the conductive layer adjacent to the plurality of flexure bond pads in the terminal region of the flexure tail. The second thickness is less than the first thickness by a thickness difference that is no less than a cover layer thickness.

Abstract: A magnetic read apparatus has an air-bearing surface (ABS) and includes a shield, a crystal decoupling structure on the shield and a read sensor on the crystal decoupling structure. The crystal decoupling structure includes at least one of a magnetic high crystalline temperature amorphous alloy layer and a combination of a high crystalline temperature amorphous layer and an amorphous magnetic layer. The high crystalline temperature amorphous layer has a crystalline temperature of at least three hundred degrees Celsius. The amorphous magnetic layer is amorphous as-deposited.

Abstract: A PMR writer is disclosed with an all wrap around (AWA) shield design in which one or more of the leading shield, trailing shield, and side shields are comprised of a composite wherein a magnetic “hot seed” layer made of a >19 kG to 24 kG material adjoins a gap layer, and a side of the hot seed layer opposite the gap layer adjoins a high damping magnetic layer made of a 10-16 kG material (or a 16-19 kG material in the trailing shield) having a Gilbert damping parameter ?>0.04. In a preferred embodiment, the high damping magnetic layer is FeNiRe with a Re content of 3 to 15 atomic %. One or both of the main pole leading and trailing sides may be tapered. Side shields may have a single taper or dual taper structure. Higher writer speed with greater areal density capability is achieved.

Abstract: Provided are a vibration unit which includes a pair of right and left coils that vibrate in response to vibration of a stylus attached to a cantilever and a magnetic circuit which includes a magnet and a pair of yokes and forms a magnetic path. The coils to be disposed in a gap between the pair of yokes are flat coils having perfect circular shapes, and V-shaped notches are formed on opposing surfaces, with the coils interposed therebetween, of the pair of yokes 4. An intersection angle of the V-shaped notch is set to be an angle to allow channel separation between right and left output signals to be obtained by the pair of coils to be equal to or larger than 20 db.

Abstract: {circle around (1)} A spindle motor includes a fixing portion defined by a bearing portion, a holder portion, a gap between the bearing portion and the holder portion, and an adhesive arranged in the gap. {circle around (2)} The fixing portion includes first and second protruding surfaces arranged to protrude radially from a first and a second one, respectively, of an outside surface of the bearing portion and an inside surface of the holder portion; and first and second boundary surfaces arranged to join the first and second surfaces, respectively, to the first and second protruding surfaces, respectively. {circle around (3)} At least a portion of the first boundary surface is arranged above the second boundary surface. {circle around (4)} The first and second protruding surfaces are arranged radially opposite to the second and first surfaces, respectively, with a first and a second gap, respectively, intervening therebetween.

Abstract: A disk conveyance unit 3 conveys the disk medium 2 to a position where recording and reproducing are performed by the pickup 1 with the spindle motor 4 held. The disk conveyance unit 3 includes first movement mechanisms 22 and 24 for moving a first conveyance frame 30 with respect to fixed frames 10 and 20 and second movement mechanisms 34 and 36 for moving a second conveyance frame 40 holding a spindle motor 4 with respect to the first conveyance frame 30. The first and second movement mechanisms move to substantially the same direction and operate independently from each other. This allows the disk of the hologram recording and reproducing apparatus to be moved at a high speed and positioned at a high accuracy.

Abstract: A storage base having an interior side and an exterior side is described. The storage drive base includes a slotted aperature, a flexible circuit and a sealing-adhesive barrier. The slotted aperature passes through the storage drive base from the interior side to the exterior side. The flexible circuit has a first end and a second end. The first end of the flexible circuit is installed in the slotted aperture and aligned so that the first end extends along an interior surface of the storage drive base in a location proximal to the slotted aperture. The sealing-adhesive barrier is applied between edges of the slotted aperture and the flexible circuit to form a hermetic seal between the exterior side and the interior side of the storage drive base.

Abstract: A monolithic tape head module for high density recording. The module includes an actuator rail, and a tape head transducer array coupled to the actuator rail that includes a plurality of tape head transducer elements. A flex circuit is electrically coupled to the tape head transducer array, and includes first electrical conductors in a first flex circuit path that are coupled to a portion of the tape head transducer elements, and second electrical conductors in a second flex circuit path that are coupled to the remainder of the tape head transducer elements. An actuator shaft is connected to the actuator rail and coupled to a motor that is operated to move the actuator shaft. A plurality of flexures are mechanically coupled to the actuator rail and operated to restrict movement of the actuator rail to a direction aligned with the longitudinal axis of the actuator rail.

Abstract: A hermetic hard disk drive of the invention comprises: a housing comprising a base and a cover, wherein at least one of the base and the cover comprises a moldable material; at least one disk for storage of data within the housing; an actuator for reading and recording of the data on the at least one disk; and a filter comprising an integrally molded filter frame within the moldable material of the housing of the hard disk drive. Methods of forming such hard disk drives are also disclosed.

Abstract: Approaches to a suspension for a hard disk drive include having an adhered one or more piezo actuating device driven by a negative bias driving voltage. The negative bias driving voltage is lower than ground, therefore such voltage inhibits the migration of ions of an electrically conductive adhesive to an electrically conductive flexure layer, and inhibits the degradation of the resistance of an insulating material positioned between the conductive adhesive and the conductive flexure layer.

Abstract: According to an embodiment, a magnetic recording head includes a main magnetic pole and a spin torque oscillator. The spin torque oscillator includes a first perpendicular free layer, a second perpendicular free layer, and a first spacer layer, each of the first perpendicular free layer and the second perpendicular free layer including a magnetic anisotropy axis in a direction perpendicular to a film plane of the spin torque oscillator. An effective perpendicular magnetic anisotropy magnetic field of the first perpendicular free layer is smaller than an effective perpendicular magnetic anisotropy magnetic field of the second perpendicular free layer, and a current is applied from the first perpendicular free layer side to the second perpendicular free layer side.

Abstract: A micro-milliactuator, a micro-microactuator, an actuator arm assembly, a hard disk drive and a method for operation of the hard disk are provided. In accordance with one aspect, the actuator arm assembly includes an arm, a slider for reading and writing information to disk media in response to read/write signals, and an actuator selected from the group comprising a micro-milliactuator and a micro-microactuator. The actuator has the slider mounted thereon and supports it above the disk media. The actuator includes one or more piezoelectric actuators for horizontally shifting the slider in response to actuator control signals. The actuator further includes one or more sensors physically coupled thereto for vibration sensing, compensation and suppression, the one or more sensors generating sensor signals in response to sensed vibrations during operation, wherein the actuator control signals are generated at least partially in response to the sensor signals.

Abstract: A disc drive assembly that includes a disc having a surface, a slider having an air-bearing surface (ABS) opposite the disc surface, and a voltage source for applying a voltage/potential across the disc and slider. Present on either the ABS or the disc surface is a surface treatment that provides a surface potential of at least +/?0.1 V. In some implementations the surface treatment is a self-assembled monolayer (SAM).