Abstract: Piezoelectric elements or similar microactuators perform fine positioning in a system including at least two masses bendably coupled to a larger body. A servo controller receives a position signal from a sensor on the first mass, from which it generates a signal to control microactuators coupling other masses to the body. The movement of the other masses thereby exerts a controlled reactive force upon the body and upon the first mass. Examples include disc drive systems in which the reactive forces are used to counteract one or more unwanted excitations in an actuator body or actuator arm.

Abstract: Apparatus and method for cooling the actuator coil with a suitable heat sink structure. The heat sink thermally couples the coil to one or more of the head-carrying arms, which are positioned close enough to the disc stack that rotation of the stack cools them. In one embodiment, a gap is formed between the coil and a thermal conduit, and the gap is made wide enough to allow a majority of the gap to be filed with a solid dielectric. Another embodiment is a method for controlling the minimum gap thickness. In yet another embodiment, a rotary actuator includes a heat conduit with a concave surface for bonding to the coil, increasing rigidity and thermal conduction.

Abstract: A head suspension for mounting and supporting the head assembly in a disc drive. The head suspension includes a ramp contact feature located adjacent the leading edge of the head assembly, and the ramp contact feature is in the form of an inclined cylinder with a spherical contact end. The shape of the ramp contact feature allows for simplification of the ramp surface profile and provides the ability to allow for assembly tolerance build-up in multi-disc disc drive assemblies.

Abstract: A system for unloading heads from and loading heads into cooperative engagement with discs in a disc drive, including a novel head suspension for mounting and supporting the heads. The head suspension includes a primary ramp contact feature formed as a portion of the load beam portion of the head suspension and a secondary ramp contact feature formed as an extension of the mounting tab of the gimbal portion of the head suspension. The primary ramp contact feature acts as the principal lifting mechanism of the head suspension, while the secondary ramp contact feature serves to controllably lift the head. In an alternative embodiment, only the secondary ramp contact feature is used for the unloading and loading of the head.