Abstract: A disc drive apparatus has a base, a disc, and a carriage. The base has a first vibration mode and a second vibration mode as reference vibration modes with respect to frequency response characteristics observed when the disc drive apparatus is shaken. The second vibration mode has a low-frequency second vibration mode (Base 2nd-1), in which a waveform peak is created on the low-frequency side, and a high-frequency second vibration mode (Base 2nd-2), in which a waveform peak is created on the high-frequency side. The two second vibration modes (Base 2nd-1 and Base 2nd-2) have a relationship such that the phase of a pivot position is inverted between them. A frequency of a first bending mode of an arm of the carriage is set in a frequency domain in a trough between the two second vibration modes.

Abstract: A suspension for disc drive has a load beam, a flexure, and a slider. The slider is mounted on a tongue portion of the flexure. When a disc rotates, air flows from an air inflow end (leading side) toward an outflow end (trailing side), whereupon an air bearing is formed between the disc and the slider. A dimple is provided on the distal end portion of the load beam. The slider is supported by the dimple so as to be swingable in a pitch direction and a roll direction. The dimple is formed in a position shifted to the trailing side from the center of the slider. The shorter the length of the load beam, the greater the amount of the shift is.

Abstract: A head suspension has a base plate 11a, a load beam 13a, and a piezoelectric element 40 that is arranged between the base plate and the load beam and deforms in response to applied power to precisely move a front end of the load beam relative to the base plate. The head suspension includes an opening 20 formed in the base plate and configured to receive the piezoelectric element and a support member 19 joined with the base plate, partly protruding into the opening, and configured to support an electrode 71 of the piezoelectric element. The support member 19 integrally has a base end support 19a1 to support a base end of the electrode, a front end support 19a2 to support a front end of the electrode, and a pair of support links 19a3 to connect the base end support and front end support to each other outside the piezoelectric element. This configuration reduces the number of parts to support the piezoelectric element.

Abstract: A carriage for a disc device, which has a top arm, bottom arm, and mid arm, has a main mode, end arm mode, and mid arm mode as a frequency response obtained when subjected to a vertical shake. In the main mode, all of the top, bottom, and mid arms swing at a first frequency within the same phase in a primary bending mode. In an end arm mode, the top and bottom arms swing at a second frequency higher than the first frequency within opposite phases and with an amplitude larger than that of the mid arm. In the mid arm mode, the mid arm swings at a third frequency having a difference of 50 Hz or less from the second frequency within the same phase as in the main mode, and the top and bottom arms swing within the phase opposite from that in the main mode.

Abstract: A suspension for a disc drive has a load beam, a flexure, a slider, etc. A tongue portion and a pair of outrigger portions are formed on the flexure. Slits are formed between the outrigger portions and opposite side edges of the tongue portion. The tongue portion and the outrigger portions are connected by connecting portions. Limiter members are formed on the load beam. Each limiter member has a bent portion, which is inserted in its corresponding slit, and an extending portion. The extending portion faces its corresponding connecting portion. A trace member is electrically connected to the slider. The trace member passes outside the limiter members and extends along the outrigger portions.

Abstract: A head suspension for a hard disk drive is thin from an arm to a head and involves a minimum step between the arm and a load beam. The head suspension includes a load beam that includes a rigid part and a resilient part. The load beam applies load onto a head that is arranged at a front end of the load beam to write and read data to and from a disk arranged in the hard disk drive. The head is connected to read/write wiring patterns of a flexure. The flexure supports the head and is attached to a disk-facing surface of the rigid part. An arm is attached to a carriage of the hard disk drive and is turned around a spindle. The arm supports the resilient part that is attached to a base end of the rigid part. A disk-facing surface of the arm is arranged within the total of thicknesses of the rigid part and head.

Abstract: A head suspension for a hard disk drive is thin from an arm to a head and involves a minimum step between the arm and a load beam. The head suspension includes a load beam that includes a rigid part and a resilient part. The load beam applies load onto a head that is arranged at a front end of the load beam to write and read data to and from a disk arranged in the hard disk drive. The head is connected to read/write wiring patterns of a flexure. The flexure supports the head and is attached to a disk-facing surface of the rigid part. An arm is attached to a carriage of the hard disk drive and is turned around a spindle. The arm supports the resilient part that is attached to a base end of the rigid part. A disk-facing surface of the arm is arranged within the total of thicknesses of the rigid part and head.

Abstract: A head suspension for a hard disk drive includes a base to be attached to a carriage of the head disk drive and turned around a spindle. A load beam includes a rigid part and a resilient part separated from the rigid part, to apply load onto a head that is arranged at a front end of the load beam to write and read data to and from a disk arranged in the hard disk drive. A base end of the rigid part is connected to the resilient part that is supported with the base. A flexure has read/write wiring patterns connected to the head, the flexure supporting the head and attached to the load beam. A joint is provided on the rigid part, to be connected to the resilient part. A protrusion formed on each side edge. Reinforcing part each expands and connects between each of the protrusions and the rigid part.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a head suspension includes forming a rigid part chain product where the rigid parts are provided continuously, including forming a plate-like framework for formation of the rigid part including formation margins for formation of the rails and forming a deformable part along a longitudinal curve of each formation margin and forming the rails by bending the formation margins to rise, forming a resilient member chain product where the resilient members are provided continuously, forming the flexures, forming the bases, and a stacking and coupling step stacking and coupling the rigid part chain product, the resilient member chain product, the bases, and the flexures, to form a stacked set, and cutting and separating respective head suspensions from the stacked set.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a head suspension for a hard disk drive includes a rigid part chain product manufacturing step forming a rigid part chain product where rigid parts are provided continuously, a flexure manufacturing step forming the flexure integrated with the resilient part and the reinforcing parts, a base manufacturing step forming the base, a stacking and coupling step stacking and connecting the rigid part chain product, the resilient part chain product, the bases, and the flexures, to form the stacked set, and a cutting step cutting and separating respective head suspensions from a stacked set.

Abstract: A head suspension for a hard disk drive has an arm to be attached to a carriage of the hard disk drive and turned around a spindle, a load beam including a rigid part and a resilient part, to apply load onto a head that is arranged at a tip end thereof to write and read data to and from a disk arranged in the hard disk drive, a base end of the rigid part supported on the arm side through the resilient part, and a flexure having read/write wiring patterns connected to the head, the flexure supporting the head and attached to a disk side face of the rigid part, the resilient part at least separated from the arm side and fixed to an opposite disk side face on the arm side and the flexure fixed to a disk side face on the arm side.

Abstract: A head suspension restricts deformation of a flexure caused by frictional force produced between a hard disk and a slider when the hard disk turns in a reverse direction. The head suspension has a load beam resiliently supported with a base. The base is supported with an arm that is turned around an axis. The load beam applies load onto a head having a slider to write and read data to and from the hard disk. The flexure is attached to the load beam and has a tongue that supports the slider. The flexure is provided with a limiter that limits displacement of the tongue due to frictional force produced between the hard disk and the slider when the hard disk is reversely turned. The limiter is on the base side and faces a free end of the tongue. The limiter is integrally formed from a part of the flexure, to face the free end of the tongue.

Abstract: A head suspension for a hard disk drive is capable of improving shock property of the hard disk drive while miniaturizing the hard disk drive. A head suspension has a base plate to be attached to a carriage and turned around a spindle of the carriage, a load beam which includes a beam and a hinge, a base end of the beam being supported to the base plate through the hinge and which applies a load onto a head for writing and reading data to and from a disk at a front end side thereof, and a flexure which connects the head to writing and reading wires and supports the head and which is attached to the load beam, where the hinge is set to be relatively thicker than the beam so that the load beam is made thin and the load is increased.

Abstract: The head suspension includes a base plate turned around a spindle, a load beam, and a flexure. The load beam includes the rigid part, a resilient part, and a head. A base end of the rigid part is attached to the resilient part, which is supported with the base plate. The head is for writing and reading data to and from a disk and is positioned at a front end of the rigid part to receive load from the load beam. The flexure is attached to the load beam and supports the head. A rail is formed along each side edge of the rigid part by bending the side edge in a thickness direction of the rigid part. The rail is continuous from the front end to the base end of the rigid part. The base end of the rigid part widens to form a wide part. The rail has a longitudinal curve around the start of the wide part. The longitudinal curve is provided with a deformable part that is more easily deformable in the longitudinal and vertical directions of the rail than the remaining parts.

Abstract: A head suspension includes an arm turned around a spindle, the load beam, and a flexure. The load beam includes a rigid part, a resilient part, and a head. The rigid part has a body and a joint. The joint is connected to a first end of the resilient part that is supported with the arm. The head is for writing and reading data to and from a disk and is positioned at a front end of the load beam to receive load from the load beam. The flexure is attached to the load beam and supports the head. A rail is formed along each side edge of the body of the rigid part and rises in a thickness direction of the body. The first end of the resilient part has extensions that extend over the joint of the rigid part toward the body of the rigid part. The extensions are fixed to the body of the rigid part.

Abstract: A load/unload-type head suspension is capable of suppressing frictional coefficient variations. The head suspension has a head and a tab that is slid and guided along a ramp block in a read/write apparatus, to move the head away from a hard disk to a retract position. The tab is provided with microscopic irregularities to suppress frictional coefficient variations when the tab is guided along the ramp block. A center line average roughness (Ra) of the microscopic irregularities being greater than 0.2 ?m or smaller than 0.6 ?m.

Abstract: An apparatus surely measures the vibration characteristic of a head gimbal assembly and has a wide range of resonance frequencies to be set, the apparatus has a first laser Doppler vibrometer to detect a vibration velocity of a shaker, a second laser Doppler vibrometer to detect a vibration velocity of a head of the head gimbal assembly fixed to a fixture, and a reflection mirror to orthogonally reflect a laser beam emitted from the first laser Doppler vibrometer toward the fixture fixed to the shaker, and the apparatus finds the vibration characteristic of the head gimbal assembly according to the detected vibration velocities.

Abstract: A head suspension with a piezoelectric element involves simple wiring and realizes high reliability, the head suspension has a base plate, a load beam connected to the base plate, a flexure attached to the load beam, and a piezoelectric actuator having a piezoelectric element arranged between the base plate and the load beam, the piezoelectric element is configured to deform according to a state of applied voltage and move a front end of the load beam in a sway direction according to the deformation, and the piezoelectric element has first and second piezoelectric parts that are oppositely polarized and deform according to a state of applied voltage, a common electrode formed over first surfaces of the first and second piezoelectric parts, a first electrode formed on a second surface of the first piezoelectric part, and a second electrode formed on a second surface of the second piezoelectric part.

Abstract: An apparatus for measuring the vibration characteristics of a head gimbal assembly can grasp resonant characteristics at high frequencies and efficiently measure the vibration characteristics of the head gimbal assembly, the apparatus has a shaker head to which the head gimbal assembly is attached, the shaker head has a main body made of ceramics and a fixture made of metal, the fixture is solidly fixed to the main body and is provided with positioning pins and an internal thread, the head gimbal assembly is supported with a mount block, and the mount block has positioning holes to be fitted to the positioning pins of the fixture and a joined part to be removably fastened to the internal thread of the fixture.

Abstract: A head suspension for a disk drive has support plate means (3, 7) serving as a carriage arm and a load beam (5). The load beam consists of a rigid part (13) and a resilient part (15), to apply load to a slider (43) of a head. The support plate means (3, 7) consists of at least layered two plates (3, 7). At least one (7) of the plates (3, 7) has a thickness (t2) appropriate for forming precision holes therethrough by etching. A pivot hole (31) is formed through the plate (7). A loose hole (9) larger than and substantially concentric with the pivot hole is formed through the plate (3). The plates (3, 7) have improved flatness, and the pivot hole has improved accuracy.