Abstract: A series-parallel battery system with a buffer resistor coupled to each junction of batteries or battery cells. Buffer resistors on the same row are coupled to a measurement node. Terminals of the battery system and the measurement nodes are treated as measurement points that are coupled to a conventional battery management unit. The buffer resistors provide a means for limiting in-rush current and a means for maintaining voltage balance across the row of batteries in the parallel columns of batteries. A control unit in series with each series of batteries monitors current in the series and comprises a switch to deactivate the column when the current exceeds a set of predetermined current levels.

Abstract: A battery having the electrodes of multiple battery cell types are interleaved to prevent thermal runaway by cooling a shorted region between electrodes. The electrodes of each of the battery cell types with a first polarity share a pair of the common electrodes having a second polarity. The electrodes of the multiple battery cell types and the multiple common electrodes are interleaved such that if the electrodes of the multiple battery cell types and the adjacent common electrodes of one or more battery cell types short together, the current within the shorted battery cells is sufficiently small to prevent thermal runaway and the electrodes of the adjacent cells of the other battery cell types of the first polarity and the common electrodes of the second polarity not having short circuits provide heat sinking for the heat generated by the short circuit to prevent thermal runaway.

Abstract: A battery having the electrodes of multiple battery cell types are interleaved to prevent thermal runaway by cooling a shorted region between electrodes. The electrodes of each of the battery cell types with a first polarity share a pair of the common electrodes having a second polarity. The electrodes of the multiple battery cell types and the multiple common electrodes are interleaved such that if the electrodes of the multiple battery cell types and the adjacent common electrodes of one or more battery cell types short together, the current within the shorted battery cells is sufficiently small to prevent thermal runaway and the electrodes of the adjacent cells of the other battery cell types of the first polarity and the common electrodes of the second polarity not having short circuits provide heat sinking for the heat generated by the short circuit to prevent thermal runaway.

Abstract: A battery having the electrodes of multiple cell types interleaved to prevent thermal runaway by cooling a shorted region between electrodes. The battery includes multiple cell types where each cell type has multiple electrodes a first polarity. The electrodes of each of the cell types share a pair of the common electrodes having a second polarity. The electrodes of the multiple cell types and the multiple common electrodes are interleaved such that if the electrodes of the multiple cell types and the adjacent common electrodes of one or more cell types short together, the current within the shorted cells is sufficiently small to prevent thermal runaway and the electrodes of the adjacent cells of the other cell types of the first polarity and the common electrodes of the second polarity not having short circuits provide heat sinking for the heat generated by the short circuit to prevent thermal runaway.

Abstract: A battery pack has series-parallel connected battery cells. An inrush current limiting circuit has current limiting devices and a current limiting tracking means limits inrush current from shorted battery cells. Each current limiting tracking means is coupled to the current limiting devices such that they limit an inrush current from parallel neighbor battery cells when one battery cell on the column shorts. The current limiting devices are variable buffer resistors with a positive temperature coefficient. The current limiting tracking means are heat sinks that thermally couples the buffer resistors together such that the buffer resistors increase in resistance with a temperature increase caused by current flowing through the buffer resistor associated with the shorted battery cell. Current regulating elements are in series with columns of battery cells for preventing inrush current to the columns of the battery cells.

Abstract: A series-parallel battery system with a buffer resistor coupled to each junction of batteries or battery cells. Buffer resistors on the same row are coupled to a measurement node. Terminals of the battery system and the measurement nodes are treated as measurement points that are coupled to a conventional battery management unit. The buffer resistors provide a means for limiting in-rush current and a means for maintaining voltage balance across the row of batteries in the parallel columns of batteries. A control unit in series with each series of batteries monitors current in the series and comprises a switch to deactivate the column when the current exceeds a set of predetermined current levels.

Abstract: A series-parallel battery system with a buffer resistor coupled to each junction of batteries or battery cells. Buffer resistors on the same row are coupled to a measurement node. Terminals of the battery system and the measurement nodes are treated as measurement points that are coupled to a conventional battery management unit. The buffer resistors provide a means for limiting in-rush current and a means for maintaining voltage balance across the row of batteries in the parallel columns of batteries. A control unit in series with each series of batteries monitors current in the series and comprises a switch to deactivate the column when the current exceeds a set of predetermined current levels.

Abstract: A battery having the electrodes of multiple cell types interleaved to prevent thermal runaway by cooling a shorted region between electrodes. The battery includes multiple cell types where each cell type has multiple electrodes a first polarity. The electrodes of each of the cell types share a pair of the common electrodes having a second polarity. The electrodes of the multiple cell types and the multiple common electrodes are interleaved such that if the electrodes of the multiple cell types and the adjacent common electrodes of one or more cell types short together, the current within the shorted cells is sufficiently small to prevent thermal runaway and the electrodes of the adjacent cells of the other cell types of the first polarity and the common electrodes of the second polarity not having short circuits provide heat sinking for the heat generated by the short circuit to prevent thermal runaway.

Abstract: A battery pack has series-parallel connected battery cells. An inrush current limiting circuit has current limiting devices and a current limiting tracking means limits inrush current from shorted battery cells. Each current limiting tracking means is coupled to the current limiting devices such that they limit an inrush current from parallel neighbor battery cells when one battery cell on the column shorts. The current limiting devices are variable buffer resistors with a positive temperature coefficient. The current limiting tracking means are heat sinks that thermally couples the buffer resistors together such that the buffer resistors increase in resistance with a temperature increase caused by current flowing through the buffer resistor associated with the shorted battery cell. Current regulating elements are in series with columns of battery cells for preventing inrush current to the columns of the battery cells.

Abstract: Biasing schemes used for CIP GMR devices were previously thought to be impractical for CPP devices due to current shunting by the abutted hard magnets. In the present invention the CPP stripe is a narrow conductor directly above the free layer. The resistivity of the latter is made to be relatively high so the sensing current diverges very little as it passes through it. This makes it possible to use abutted hard magnets for longitudinal bias with virtually no loss of sensing current due to shunting by the magnets.

Abstract: In a balanced head gimbal assembly for improved seeking performance, a slider having a magnetic head with a set of read elements to read data and a set of write elements to write data, an air-bearing surface, and a non-air-bearing surface is coupled to a suspension. The suspension includes a loadbeam, a flexure, and a balancing weight. The loadbeam is coupled to an actuator arm. The flexure, coupled to the loadbeam, has a window through which a dimple, coupled to the loadbeam, contacts a dimple contact point. The balancing weight, coupled to the flexure, has a configuration which permits alignment of a center of mass of the head gimbal assembly with the dimple contact point.

Abstract: In a balanced head gimbal assembly for improved seeking performance, a slider having a magnetic head with a set of read elements to read data and a set of write elements to write data, an air-bearing surface, and a non-air-bearing surface is coupled to a suspension. The suspension includes a loadbeam, a flexure, and a balancing weight. The loadbeam is coupled to an actuator arm. The flexure, coupled to the loadbeam, has a window through which a dimple, coupled to the loadbeam, contacts a dimple contact point. The balancing weight, coupled to the flexure, has a configuration which permits alignment of a center of mass of the head gimbal assembly with the dimple contact point.

Abstract: In a balanced head gimbal assembly for improved seeking performance, a slider having a magnetic head with a set of read elements to read data and a set of write elements to write data, an air-bearing surface, and a non-air-bearing surface is coupled to a suspension. The suspension includes a loadbeam, a flexure, and a balancing weight. The loadbeam is coupled to an actuator arm. The flexure, coupled to the loadbeam, has a window through which a dimple, coupled to the loadbeam, contacts a dimple contact point. The balancing weight, coupled to the flexure, has a configuration which permits alignment of a center of mass of the head gimbal assembly with the dimple contact point.

Abstract: A series-parallel battery system with a buffer resistor coupled to each junction of batteries or battery cells. Buffer resistors on the same row are coupled to a measurement node. Terminals of the battery system and the measurement nodes are treated as measurement points that are coupled to a conventional battery management unit. The buffer resistors provide a means for limiting in-rush current and a means for maintaining voltage balance across the row of batteries in the parallel columns of batteries. A control unit in series with each series of batteries monitors current in the series and comprises a switch to deactivate the column when the current exceeds a set of predetermined current levels.

Abstract: In a system and method for a non-contact measurement of the fly height of a slider above a magnetic data storage medium using electrostatic force, a slider with a read/write head flies over a magnetic data storage medium. A series of distinct voltages are applied between the slider and the magnetic data storage medium, and corresponding read-back signals are recorded. Using the recorded read-back signals, coefficients for an empirical curve-fit equation are calculated. The coefficients are normalized and converted into a fly height measurement.

Abstract: In a system and method for adjusting a static torque on a slider in a head-gimbal assembly, a substantially rigid mass is placed on an air-bearing surface (ABS) of a slider. A static attitude of the slider is measured, and an adjustment location and intensity for a flexure to yield a zero slider static attitude are calculated. The flexure is adjusted based on the measurement and calculations.

Abstract: A HGA of the invention includes a slider; a micro-actuator to adjust the position of the slider; and a suspension to load the slider and the micro-actuator. The micro-actuator includes two side arms; a load plate for supporting the slider, which is connected with at least one of the side arms; a piezoelectric element connected with the side arms; and a base shaft to couple with the suspension, which is connected with the side arms and positioned between the load plate and the piezoelectric element. The invention also discloses a disk drive unit using such a HGA.

Abstract: In a system and method for a non-contact measurement of the fly height of a slider above a magnetic data storage medium using electrostatic force, a slider with a read/write head flies over a magnetic data storage medium. A series of distinct voltages are applied between the slider and the magnetic data storage medium, and corresponding read-back signals are recorded. Using the recorded read-back signals, coefficients for an empirical curve-fit equation are calculated. The coefficients are normalized and converted into a fly height measurement.

Abstract: Biasing schemes used for CIP GMR devices were previously thought to be impractical for CPP devices due to current shunting by the abutted hard magnets. In the present invention the CPP stripe is a narrow conductor directly above the free layer. The resistivity of the latter is made to be relatively high so the sensing current diverges very little as it passes through it. This makes it possible to use abutted hard magnets for longitudinal bias with virtually no loss of sensing current due to shunting by the magnets.

Abstract: A method is provided for preserving the transverse biasing of a GMR (or MR) read head during back-end processing. In a first preferred embodiment, the method comprises magnetizing the longitudinal biasing layers of the read head in a transverse direction, so that the resulting field at the position of the transverse biasing layer places it in a minimum of potential energy which stabilizes its direction. The field of the longitudinal biasing layer is then reset to the longitudinal direction in a manner which maintains the transverse biasing direction. In a second embodiment, a novel fixture for mounting the read head during processing includes a magnetic portion which stabilizes the transverse bias of the read head. The two methods may be used singly or in combination.