Abstract: A magnetic disk unit includes a magnetic disk attached to a spindle so as to be rotatable, a slider having a magnetic head for reading/writing data onto/from the magnetic disk, a suspension for providing the slider with a predetermined load, and an actuator arm for positioning the slider attached to the suspension on the magnetic disk. A first pad including the magnetic head and second pads including no magnetic heads are disposed on an air bearing surface of.the slider. During rotation of said magnetic disk, a part of the first pad keeps in contact with the magnetic disk. A load point of the suspension with respect to the slider is positioned between a leading edge of the slider and a position located at a distance equivalent to substantially 0.42 times a whole length of the slider from the leading edge of the slider.

Abstract: A recording apparatus, a recording method, and a recording medium, which allows a search operation based on a second segment information signal representing finely divided segments of a recording signal even in a player which can perform only a searching operation of a first segment information signal representing large segments of the recording signal. When a change of the second segment information signal of a signal to be recorded is detected, the first segment information signal being formed is updated and the first segment information signal is recorded together with an audio signal. That is, the second segment information signal of the signal to be recorded is converted into the first segment information signal and recorded together with the audio signal.

Abstract: A magnetic head slider assembly is provided, in which a flying height of the head slider is not changed when a peripheral speed and a yaw angle of the magnetic head slider assembly with respect to a magnetic disk are changed according to the change of a magnetic head slider radial position, so that a difference between flying heights in floating profiles become minimum. The magnetic head slider is provided with two stepped surfaces via a difference portion with respect to a contact surface of an inflow pad or an outflow pad of the magnetic head slider (1), wherein a ratio &dgr;s/&dgr;r between a depth &dgr;s of the first stepped surface and a depth &dgr;r of the second stepped surface with respect to the contact surface and a ratio xp/L between a length L of the slider in an air stream inflow direction and a distance xp between an air stream inflow end and a dimple position of the slider are respectively set in a range 0.047≦&dgr;s/&dgr;r≦0.364 and 0.002≦xp/L≦0.4, or a range 0.

Abstract: A magnetic head supporting apparatus includes a magnetic head for reading and writing information on a magnetic disc, a slider having the magnetic head, and a suspension for supporting the slider. An IC chip for controlling a signal of the magnetic head is mounted on a first surface of a heat insulating substrate, and a second surface of the heat insulating substrate opposite to the first surface thereof is mounted to the suspension.

Abstract: A magnetic disc apparatus includes a magnetic disc, a slider incorporating lifting rails or lifting pads, a magnetic head provided to a lifting rail or a lifting pad on the outflow end side, a suspension supporting the slider, and a carriage attached to the suspension. The slider has an inverted stepped wall formed in a shape such that it is caved in a direction from the inflow end to the outflow end of the slider, and a bleed surface formed at the outflow end side of the inverted stepped wall and caved from the lifting rails or the lifting pads. An action point of an equivalent load is located offset from the inverted stepped wall of the slider toward the inflow end of the slider.

Abstract: A magnetic head slider has a magnetic head mounting surface holding a magnetic head, to be kept closest to a magnetic disk when the magnetic head slider is in operation, a slider rail surface contiguous with a surface, on the side of an air inlet end, and opposite sides of a portion, near an air outlet end, of the magnetic head and extending near to the air outlet end, a step bearing surface formed at least on the side of the air inlet end of the slider rail surface, and a negative-pressure groove formed so as to surround the step bearing surface. The magnetic head mounting surface is typically formed on an alumina protective film protecting the magnetic head. The variation of the flying height of the magnetic head slider with respect to a rolling direction is reduced and a proximity ability to approach the magnetic disk is improved.

Abstract: A decrease in the lift-up degree of the outflow end of a slider at an altitude of 3,000 m is set to be less than 2 nm or to be zero in order to set the lift-up degree of the outflow end to be less than 10 nm. There is provided a magnetic disc apparatus in which the action point of positive pressure is shifted toward the inflow end but the action point of negative pressure is shifted toward the outflow end so as to enhance the influence upon the outflow end by the negative pressure in order to effect an action in the increasing direction of the lift-up degree of the outflow end when the pressure is reduced. Further, it is possible to increase the lift-up degree of the outflow end when the pressure is decreased. The action point of the equivalent load is offset from the action point of positive pressure toward the inflow end, and the distance between the action point of the positive pressure and the action point of the equivalent load point is set to be greater than 0.

Abstract: A magnetic disk unit includes a magnetic disk, a slider having a magnetic head, a suspension for providing the slider, and an actuator arm for positioning the slider on the magnetic disk a first pad including the magnetic head and second pads including no magnetic heads are disposed on an air bearing surface of the slider. A load point of the suspension with respect to the slider is positioned between a leading edge of the slider and a position located at a distance equivalent to substantially 0.42 times a whole length of the slider from the leading edge of the slider. When the slider is seek-positioned on a certain track on the magnetic disk, a frictional force exerted between the first pad of the slider and the magnetic disk is smaller than a product of lateral stiffness of the suspension in a seeking direction and a track width.

Abstract: A method is presented for maintaining a plate member in a flat state, including the steps of placing the plate member on a surface of a supporting member, the surface of the supporting member being in a flat state and having at least one hole penetrating through the surface, and sucking air from a back side of the surface of the supporting member to generate an airflow flowing from a front side of the surface towards the back side thereof via the hole so as to retain the plate member on the surface of the supporting member. In this manner, the plate member, such as disc substrates adhered together by using an ultraviolet curable composition, can be accurately maintained in a flat state without damaging the surface thereof.

Abstract: A magnetic head slider for sliding on the magnetic disk, which comprises: a leading edge; a trailing edge, wherein the air bearing surface has a front step bearing with submicron depth of the air bearing surface was made from said leading edge in the continuity, a rail surface made from this front step bearing in the continuity, a negative pressure recess which is more profound than said front step bearing made in the continuity from this rail surface and a side step bearing with the depth identical with said front step bearing made in the continuity from the rail surface, whereby the ratio of depth R of said recess and depth &dgr; s of said front step bearing is R/&dgr;s>5.

Abstract: A link plate for silent chains includes a circumferential edge beveled to a greater extent at at least one of opposite longitudinal ends of the link plate than at another part including a pair of link teeth, so as to form a tapered butt-inserting portion which enables smooth intermeshing engagement of the link plate relative to a pair of laterally spaced ones of such link plates when the link plates at opposite ends of an elongated chain is connected together to form an endless chain.

Abstract: A magnetic disk unit includes a magnetic disk attached to a spindle so as to be rotatable, a slider having a magnetic head for reading/writing data onto/from the magnetic disk, a suspension for providing the slider with a predetermined load, and an actuator arm for positioning the slider attached to the suspension on the magnetic disk. A first pad including the magnetic head and second pads including no magnetic heads are disposed on an air bearing surface of the slider. During rotation of said magnetic disk, a part of the first pad keeps in contact with the magnetic disk. A load point of the suspension with respect to the slider is positioned between a leading edge of the slider and a position located at a distance equivalent to substantially 0.42 times a whole length of the slider from the leading edge of the slider.

Abstract: In a magnetic disk drive which comprises a magnetic head slider, a magnetic head slider support mechanism for supporting the magnetic head slider and moving it to a predetermined position, and a load/unload mechanism for detaching the magnetic head slider from the surface of a magnetic disk or moving it thereto, when the magnetic head slider is detached from the magnetic disk surface for unloading, the magnetic head slider support mechanism is restrained against displacement in at least one direction perpendicular to the magnetic disk surface by a restraining part which is provided at a position, on other than the load/unload mechanism, between the magnetic head slider and a pivot of the magnetic head slider support mechanism. Thus, it is possible to enhance impact resistance of the magnetic disk drive during non-ration.

Abstract: A record pit is recorded in an optical information record medium by applying write light of predetermined power, the feature information of the record state is extracted based on the signal waveform provided by optically reproducing the record pit in as recorded, and write light of a plurality of steps of power is set based on the difference between the feature information and the target feature information.

Abstract: Employed is a structure for moving by a micro-actuator not a read/write element but an air-bearing surface pad. The air-bearing surface pad is arranged nearer to the leading end than the read/write element. This arrangement allows the read/write element portion to have a sufficient size, making it possible to mount the currently used read/write element and associated wiring structure. The individual adjustment of a flying height leads to the increased recording density. Moving the read/write element away from the disk during loading/unloading operations can enhance reliability.

Abstract: A magnetic disk apparatus includes a rotation mechanism for driving a magnetic disk, a magnetic head slider being floated in close proximity to a surface of the magnetic disk, a recording/reproduction element for performing recording and playback of information, a drive unit for causing a distance between the record/reproduction element and the magnetic disk to change, and means for performing position determination of the magnetic head slider, wherein the apparatus has a detection unit for permitting the drive unit to gradually reduce the distance between the record/reproduction element and the magnetic disk and for detecting occurrence of contact therebetween, and a control unit for controlling the drive unit in such a way as to cause, the record/reproduction element to shift in position by a fixed amount to thereby let the distance between this element and magnetic disk increase accordingly.

Abstract: In a magnetic disk drive which comprises a magnetic head slider, a magnetic head slider support mechanism for supporting the magnetic head slider and moving it to a predetermined position, and a load/unload mechanism for detaching the magnetic head slider from the surface of a magnetic disk or moving it thereto, when the magnetic head slider is detached from the magnetic disk surface for unloading, the magnetic head slider support mechanism is restrained against displacement in at least one direction perpendicular to the magnetic disk surface by a restraining part which is provided at a position, on other than the load/unload mechanism, between the magnetic head slider and a pivot of the magnetic head slider support mechanism. Thus, it is possible to enhance impact resistance of the magnetic disk drive during non-rotation.

Abstract: With negative pressure sliders having step bearings, there are variations in flying height resulting from variations in shape factors, such as the step bearing depth. In order to achieve lower flying height, it is considered necessary to reduce the variation in flying height caused by the variation in curvature of the air bearing surface and the variation in flying height caused by the variation in the shapes of the step bearings. The curvature of the air bearing surface of the slider can be observed in the pre-cut row bar condition or in a unit product condition. Shape data of the magnetic head slider can be input, such as the step bearing depth, etc., so as to calculate the predicted flying height of the slider An arithmetic processing unit calculates an adjusted target curvature from the difference between the predicted flying height and the target flying height.

Abstract: With negative pressure sliders having step bearings, there are variations in flying height resulting from variations in shape factors, such as the step bearing depth. In order to achieve lower flying height, it is considered necessary to reduce the variation in flying height caused by the variation in curvature of the air bearing surface and the variation in flying height caused by the variation in the shapes of the step bearings. The curvature of the air bearing surface of the slider can be observed in the pre-cut row bar condition or in a unit product condition. Shape data of the magnetic head slider can be input, such as the step bearing depth, etc., so as to calculate the predicted flying height of the slider An arithmetic processing unit calculates an adjusted target curvature from the difference between the predicted flying height and the target flying height.

Abstract: A magnetic disk unit includes a magnetic disk attached to a spindle so as to be rotatable, a slider having a magnetic head for reading/writing data onto/from the magnetic disk, a suspension for providing the slider with a predetermined load, and an actuator arm for positioning the slider attached to the suspension on the magnetic disk. A first pad including the magnetic head and second pads including no magnetic heads are disposed on an air bearing surface of the slider. During rotation of said magnetic disk, a part of the first pad keeps in contact with the magnetic disk. A load point of the suspension with respect to the slider is positioned between a leading edge of the slider and a position located at a distance equivalent to substantially 0.42 times a whole length of the slider from the leading edge of the slider.