Abstract: A battery state estimating apparatus is provided with: an acquirer configured to obtain complex impedances of a battery at a different temperatures; a calculator configured to calculate a slope of a first straight line or a slope of a second straight line as an impedance slope, wherein the first straight line connects values of the complex impedances at a first predetermined frequency, wherein the second straight line connects a convergence point and at least one of values of the plurality of complex impedances at a second predetermined frequency; and an estimator configured to estimate a battery state associated with the battery on the basis of the impedance slope and a relation stored in a storage, if it is determined by a determinator that a temperature of the battery is in a predetermined temperature area.

Abstract: A current control device for controlling, on the basis of a current command value input from an external device, a light-emitting unit current flowing from a power supply device to a light-emitting unit that includes one or a plurality of laser diodes, includes: a switching element coupled in parallel to the light-emitting unit; and a pulse-width-modulation control circuit unit to provide pulse width modulation control of the switching element in a case in which an output current output from the power supply device is greater than a present current command value or a next current command value upon a start of supply of, upon a termination of supply of, or during supply of, the light-emitting unit current.

Abstract: A battery state estimating apparatus is provided with: a voltage detector configured to detect a voltage between a positive electrode and a negative electrode of a battery; an impedance detector configured to detect an impedance of the battery; a first estimator configured to estimate a first temporary value of a charge amount of the battery; a second estimator configured to estimate a second temporary value of the charge amount of the battery; and a determinator configured (i) to determine that the first temporary value is the charge amount of the battery if the first temporary value or the second temporary value is out of a predetermined range, and (ii) to determine that the second temporary value, or a corrected value of the first temporary value is the charge amount of the battery if the first temporary value or the second temporary value is within the predetermined range.

Abstract: A battery state estimating apparatus is provided with: an acquirer configured to obtain a complex impedance of a battery; a calculator configured to calculate a ratio of a variation of a predetermined feature amount regarding the complex impedance; and an estimator configured to estimate a charge amount of the battery on the basis of the ratio of the variation of the predetermined feature amount with respect to an integrated current value, which is an integrated value of an electric current flowing through the battery.

Abstract: A battery state estimating apparatus is provided with: an acquirer configured to obtain a plurality of complex impedances of a battery at a plurality of different temperatures; a calculator configured to calculate a slope of a straight line connecting values of the obtained plurality of complex impedances at a first predetermined frequency on a complex plane having an axis that is a real component of the complex impedance and an axis that is an imaginary component of the complex impedance, as a slope of the complex impedance; a storage configured to store in advance a relation between the slope of the complex impedance and a battery state associated with the battery; and an estimator configured to estimate the battery state on the basis of the calculated slope of the complex impedance and the stored relation.

Abstract: A power supply apparatus includes a power supply for supplying power to a laser oscillator. A reactor has one end serially connected to the laser oscillator and another end serially connected to the power supply, and a parallel diode configures a closed circuit for serial connection of the laser oscillator and the reactor. A current detector detects a current flowing in the reactor, and a first switching device is connected in parallel to the laser oscillator and drives the laser oscillator with pulses. An energy consumption circuit prefetches a current command value based on a control signal from a controller upon driving the laser oscillator with pulses, and when the current command value is smaller than a current command value of a previous pulse, the energy consumption circuit consumes energy until the current command value reaches a predetermined target current value.

Abstract: Embodiments of the invention provide an actuator head suspension assembly having an efficient voice coil. In one embodiment, a voice coil is formed in a circular or any other shape than the conventional sectorial shape to increase the efficiency of the voice coil and diminish oscillation and noise of an actuator head suspension assembly. The voice coil shape is selected such that the proportion of an out-of-plane force becomes smaller than that in the conventional sectorial voice coil and the proportion contributing as weight to the oscillation energy also becomes smaller.

Abstract: Embodiments in accordance with the present invention relate to suppressing deterioration in rigidity and dynamic characteristics of a tab even when an initial point of contact between a tab and a ramp during unloading is set closer to the outer periphery of a disk. A data storage device in one embodiment of the present invention includes a head, a ramp for unloading the head, a load beam having a head support portion for supporting the head and a tab adapted to slide on a sliding surface of the ramp on a front end side with respect to the head support portion, and an actuator having the load beam and adapted to actuate the head for loading and unloading. During unloading, a portion of the tab offset from the center in the transverse direction of the tab first comes into contact with the sliding surface of the ramp. The load beam has a flange formed to be bent and continuously from the front end portion of the tab up to both ends of the head support portion.

Abstract: Terminals of a flexible printed circuit board and terminals of a wiring trace in a head suspension assembly are to be connected with each other by soldering without causing a soldering defect. In an embodiment, a terminal structure of a multi-connector in a wiring trace which includes an insulating layer and a conductor pattern portion formed on a surface of the insulating layer is provided with exposed portions of terminals exposed from apertures formed in part of the insulating layer and is also provided with lining portions adjacent to the exposed portions in a longitudinal direction of the conductor pattern portion and bonded to the insulating layer. Even if terminals of the multi-connector are cracked when soldered, not only conductivity is ensured, but also it is possible to strengthen the terminals, because the lining portions of the terminals are bonded to the insulating layer.

Abstract: Embodiments of the invention decrease bending vibrations and torsional vibrations of a voice coil generated by off-plane vibrational forces on the voice coil to reduce noise and to enable a large capacity. In one embodiment, a rotating disk type storage unit comprises a rotating disk recording medium, a head that moves radially relative to the rotating disk recording medium to perform recording or reproduction, a turnable actuator having mounted on one side thereof the head, and a voice coil motor to drive the actuator. The voice coil motor comprises a voice coil mounted on the other side end of the actuator, and a magnet arranged in opposition to the voice coil. A magnet outer periphery of the magnet disposed distant from an actuator turning center is formed to be arcuately concave in shape, and the concave-shaped outer periphery intersects the voice coil.

Abstract: Embodiments of the invention provide a data storage device improved in sealability between a base and a cover when sealed together, as well as a method of manufacturing the data storage device, are to be provided. In one embodiment, a disk enclosure of a hard disk drive includes a base in which a disk is accommodated, a top cover which covers an intra-base space, and a sealing tape for sealing a peripheral edge portion of the cover. The base is provided in an outer edge portion thereof with a covered portion which is covered with the sealing tape. In the covered portion, a sealed portion to which the sealing tape adheres is inclined so that an outer edge thereof becomes higher than an inner edge thereof.

Abstract: Embodiments of the invention permit a magnet-based actuator lock mechanism to operate smoothly in a magnetic disk drive that uses a base made of a magnetic material. In one embodiment, the base to be used is made of a magnetic material. The actuator lock mechanism includes a rotatable arm that retains a magnet. A magnetic attraction force, which is oriented toward the base as indicated by an arrow, is generated in the magnet. The base is provided with a cut to reduce the attraction force. The cut is covered with a sealing material to maintain internal airtightness. The actuator lock mechanism may be, for instance, an eddy-current latch, inertia latch, or magnetic latch.

Abstract: Embodiments of the invention provide a rotating disk storage device which has a simple mounting structure facilitating mounting thereof to a host system and is reduced in noise. In one embodiment, the rotating disk storage device includes a magnetic disk, a voice coil motor for driving a head suspension assembly having a head for reading data from the magnetic disk, a base for rotatably supporting the magnetic disk and housing the head suspension assembly and the voice coil motor, a frame having fixing areas at which the base is fixed, the fixing areas being joined to the base via an adhesive double coated tape.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention relate to retracting a magnetic head of a disk drive device to a retract position in accordance with a fall state, and to suppressing the performance degradation due to erroneous fall determinations as well as occurrence of damage by a head-disk crash. According to one embodiment of the present invention, in a Hard Disk Drive (HDD), a servo controller moves a head slider to a cylinder at the side of a ramp at a predetermined timing that a fall determiner determines that it is falling and an unload controller starts an unload process. This shortens the time between determination by the fall determiner that it is falling to retraction of the head slider to the retract position. Furthermore, it prevents increase of the erroneous determinations by relaxing the fall determination condition for safety. Also, it shortens the time that the head slider returns to the initial position before the seek in case that it is not determined that it is falling.

Abstract: Embodiments of the invention shorten a work time required for peeling off a cover seal during rework. In one embodiment, a magnetic disk drive includes: a base provided with a bonded surface around an opening edge and containing therein a head driving mechanism and a magnetic disk; a top cover to be fitted to the opening edge so as to be fixed to the base; and a cover seal including a liner disposed at an outside surface of the top cover, a sheet-like structure and an adhesive layer formed on the structure, the adhesive layer being laminated in such a manner as to face to the bonded surface and the outside surface of the top cover, at which the liner is disposed, to be thus fixed to the base.

Abstract: Embodiments of the invention establish electric continuity across an actuator head suspension assembly and a pivot bearing assembly without involving an increased manufacturing cost through a simple structure. In one embodiment, a carriage made of a plastic resin is provided with a pivot opening. A pivot bearing assembly is inserted into the pivot opening. The pivot opening includes a step formed by holes having different hole diameters from each other at an adjoining portion thereof. Two actuator arms are secured to the carriage through insert molding to support an HDA. One of the two actuator arms is provided with a hole functioning as a pivot opening and having a smaller hole diameter so as to form the step. The other of the two actuator arms is provided with a hole functioning as a pivot opening and having a larger hole diameter. The hole having the larger hole diameter includes protruded portions that abut against the pivot bearing assembly with no clearance therebetween.

Abstract: A magnetic disk drive is to be provided wherein a ramp and a magnetic disk do not overlap each other and both rigidity and dynamic characteristics of a suspension are maintained. In one embodiment, a ramp and an actuator lying at a retractive position are spaced away from and do not overlap an outer peripheral end of a magnetic disk. A tab is formed centrally of a front end of a load beam and is bent in U shape. Flanges are formed along both longitudinal edges of the load beam. An aperture is formed in a front portion of the load beam. The aperture permits the tab to be machined in a desired shape. An aperture is formed behind the aperture. The apertures are not formed in an integrally contiguous manner but are separated from each other by a bridge portion.

Abstract: Terminals of a flexible printed circuit board and terminals of a wiring trace in a head suspension assembly are to be connected with each other by soldering without causing a soldering defect. In an embodiment, a terminal structure of a multi-connector in a wiring trace which includes an insulating layer and a conductor pattern portion formed on a surface of the insulating layer is provided with exposed portions of terminals exposed from apertures formed in part of the insulating layer and is also provided with lining portions adjacent to the exposed portions in a longitudinal direction of the conductor pattern portion and bonded to the insulating layer. Even if terminals of the multi-connector are cracked when soldered, not only conductivity is ensured, but also it is possible to strengthen the terminals, because the lining portions of the terminals are bonded to the insulating layer.

Abstract: Embodiments of the invention position accurately an actuator head suspension assembly (AHSA) relative to a magnetic disk without using any positioning jig, as achieved through a simple structure and involving no increase in manufacturing, and to prevent the AHSA from being charge. In one embodiment, a conductive AHSA includes a pivot opening formed to provide a step at an adjoining portion of two holes having different hole diameters from each other. A pivot bearing assembly includes a first conductive roller bearing and a second conductive roller bearing. The first and the second roller bearings include outer races and inner races with balls interposed between the outer races and the inner races. The first and the second roller bearings are disposed in tandem to achieve the following arrangements.

Abstract: A rotating disk storage device is provided with a charging filter capable of efficiently removing dust staying in the interior of the device. In one embodiment, a charging filter is disposed below a magnetic disk and on a bottom of a base. The charging filter has plural through holes by forming a fibrous electret filter medium in a pleat shape. The through holes are formed so as to face a flowing direction of air. Dust, which is moving together with the air flow, is polarized and is attracted to the charging filter. The charging filter can collect even very fine particles without causing such problems as clogging and pressure loss. The pleat portion, which forms the through holes, further exhibits an air flow uniforming effect.