Abstract: The invention includes a disk damper containing an extended area located on the upstream side of the head stack assembly. The extended area is joined to a tail section. In the extended area, the disk damper provides a wall near the neighboring rotating disk surface that extends from the outside diameter to the inside diameter of the rotating disk surface. Experimental results have shown that this provides much more consistent dampening of disk vibrations and vibrations of a head stack assembly positioned anywhere from the inside diameter to the outside diameter. The hard disk drive including the disk damper. Using the disk damper in a hard disk drive to improve the reliability of the hard disk drive during track following. Making the hard disk drive using the disk damper, and the hard disk drive as a product of that manufacturing process.

Abstract: A hard disk drive that includes an optical pick-up coupled to a head of a hard disk assembly (“HDA”). The head is located adjacent to a disk. The optical pick-up can sense the surface of the disk by detecting light reflected from the surface. The optical pick-up is coupled to a particle circuit that can distinguish between an embedded particle and a floating particle from the reflected light.

Abstract: Improved head gimbal assemblies reducing TMR (Track Mis-Registration) in a hard disk drive are provided. These head gimbal assemblies are as mechanically simple as contemporary head gimbal assemblies, support parallel flying sliders over flat disk surfaces, and reduce TMR induced by disk vibration. They are easier to build, more reliable, and cost less to make, than other known approaches at comparable track densities and rotational rates. The improved head gimbal assemblies include three sets of mechanisms for moving the slider parallel the disk surface, when the disk surface is flat, and radially moving the slider toward the track, when the disk surface is bent. The first and third mechanisms as well as the second and third mechanisms can be used together in a head gimbal assembly. An improved and distinctive servo-controller scheme resulting in an overall improvement in PES performance, particularly when applied to hard disk drives employing the invention's TMR reduction mechanisms.

Abstract: An improved and distinctive servo-controller scheme resulting in an overall improvement in PES performance, particularly when applied to hard disk drives employing the invention's TMR reduction mechanisms. The servo-controllers trade off gain in the disk vibration frequency range, in favor of, increased rejection of low frequency disturbances. This leads to the lowest PES statistics, when applied to hard disk drives with the TMR reduction mechanisms of the invention. Improved head gimbal assemblies reducing TMR (Track Mis-Registration) in a hard disk drive are provided. These head gimbal assemblies are as mechanically simple as contemporary head gimbal assemblies, support parallel flying sliders over flat disk surfaces, and reduce TMR induced by disk vibration. They are easier to build, more reliable, and cost less to make, than other known approaches at comparable track densities and rotational rates.

Abstract: Disclosed is a hard disk drive that includes at least one disk enclosed by a cover and a disk. A damper is separated from the disk by an air gap about 1.0 mm. The damper and air gap reduce the velocity of the air flow and any vibration associated with the flow of air.

Abstract: The invention applies to servo controllers for at least the voice coil motor of a hard disk drive. Today, many control algorithms require 80 to 90 percent of the sampling period to complete their calculation of the next control, making computation time delay no longer negligible. The invention accommodates the transport delay, such as computation time delay, into the state estimator and into the whole control system. Experimental results using a commercial hard drive, as well as simulation results, show that the invention's method effectively improves the hard disk drive control system stability by increasing the phase margin and gain margin. The invention includes the method of operating the servo-controller, as well as the apparatus implementing that method. The invention also includes hard disk drives containing servo-controllers implementing the method, and program systems residing in accessibly coupled memory to a computer within the servo controller implementing the method.

Abstract: A hard disk drive that at least one disk that is rotated by a spindle motor. The rotating disk creates a flow of air within the disk drive. A damper is located adjacent to the disk. The damper reduces the velocity of the air flow and any vibration associated with the flow of air.

Abstract: A hard disk drive with a post that extends from a base of a base plate. The base has a slot adjacent to the post. The slot attenuates a shock wave that propagates through the base plate of the drive.

Abstract: This invention stems from knowing that a head gimbal assembly has twice as much of its mass centered on its base plate as it has on its slider performs better in terms of resilience to mechanical shock than one with twice as much mass on the slider as on its base plate. The inventors realized that while these two configurations in normal operation are almost identical, during the impulse and after shocks, the slider with the smaller ratio of mass to the base plate performs better. The invention includes manufacturing methods for the head gimbal assembly, the head stack assembly, and the hard disk drive, as well as these items as products of their respective manufacturing processes.

Abstract: Improved head gimbal assemblies reducing TMR (Track Mis-Registration) in a hard disk drive are provided. These head gimbal assemblies are as mechanically simple as contemporary head gimbal assemblies, support parallel flying sliders over flat disk surfaces, and reduce TMR induced by disk vibration. They are easier to build, more reliable, and cost less to make, than other known approaches at comparable track densities and rotational rates. The improved head gimbal assemblies include three sets of mechanisms for moving the slider parallel the disk surface, when the disk surface is flat, and radially moving the slider toward the track, when the disk surface is bent. The first and third mechanisms as well as the second and third mechanisms can be used together in a head gimbal assembly. An improved and distinctive servo-controller scheme resulting in an overall improvement in PES performance, particularly when applied to hard disk drives employing the invention's TMR reduction mechanisms.

Abstract: Improved head gimbal assemblies reducing TMR (Track Mis-Registration) in a hard disk drive are provided. These head gimbal assemblies are as mechanically simple as contemporary head gimbal assemblies, support parallel flying sliders over flat disk surfaces, and reduce TMR induced by disk vibration. They are easier to build, more reliable, and cost less to make, than other known approaches at comparable track densities and rotational rates. The improved head gimbal assemblies include three sets of mechanisms for moving the slider parallel the disk surface, when the disk surface is flat, and radially moving the slider toward the track, when the disk surface is bent. The first and third mechanisms as well as the second and third mechanisms can be used together in a head gimbal assembly. An improved and distinctive servo-controller scheme resulting in an overall improvement in PES performance, particularly when applied to hard disk drives employing the invention's TMR reduction mechanisms.

Abstract: The invention applies to servo controllers for at least the voice coil motor of a hard disk drive. Today, many control algorithms require 80 to 90 percent of the sampling period to complete their calculation of the next control, making computation time delay no longer negligible. The invention accommodates the transport delay, such as computation time delay, into the state estimator and into the whole control system. Experimental results using a commercial hard drive, as well as simulation results, show that the invention's method effectively improves the hard disk drive control system stability by increasing the phase margin and gain margin. The invention includes the method of operating the servo-controller, as well as the apparatus implementing that method. The invention also includes hard disk drives containing servo-controllers implementing the method, and program systems residing in accessibly coupled memory to a computer within the servo controller implementing the method.

Abstract: The invention includes a disk damper containing an extended area located on the upstream side of the head stack assembly. The extended area is joined to a tail section. In the extended area, the disk damper provides a wall near the neighboring rotating disk surface that extends from the outside diameter to the inside diameter of the rotating disk surface. Experimental results have shown that this provides much more consistent dampening of disk vibrations and vibrations of a head stack assembly positioned anywhere from the inside diameter to the outside diameter. The hard disk drive including the disk damper. Using the disk damper in a hard disk drive to improve the reliability of the hard disk drive during track following. Making the hard disk drive using the disk damper, and the hard disk drive as a product of that manufacturing process.

Abstract: The present invention includes apparatus and methods for disk dampers with an inlet edge and/or an outlet edge, oriented and shaped to control airflow within the hard disk drive. The inlet edge and the outlet edge reduce the airflow turbulence at the actuator assembly. This improves the Position Error Signal (PES), as the read-write head accesses a rotating disk surface. The outlet edge may preferably be curved and oriented at an oblique angle with respect to the angular rotation of the disk(s) in the hard disk drive. The outlet edge may preferably extend over a section of a sector angle. The inlet edge may preferably be oblique, which helps to slow down the overall velocity of the airflow into the disk damper. This allows the tip of the inlet edge to be positioned closer to the actuator assembly than previously possible.

Abstract: The invention applies to servo controllers for at least the voice coil motor of a hard disk drive. Today, many control algorithms require 80 to 90 percent of the sampling period to complete their calculation of the next control, making computation time delay no longer negligible. The invention accommodates the transport delay, such as computation time delay, into the state estimator and into the whole control system. Experimental results using a commercial hard drive, as well as simulation results, show that the invention's method effectively improves the hard disk drive control system stability by increasing the phase margin and gain margin. The invention includes the method of operating the servo-controller, as well as the apparatus implementing that method. The invention also includes hard disk drives containing servo-controllers implementing the method, and program systems residing in accessibly coupled memory to a computer within the servo controller implementing the method.

Abstract: A servo writer that writes servo information onto a disk of a hard disk drive. The servo writer can write servo information onto a disk of a hard disk drive while the disk is within an inner chamber of a housing. The rotating disk creates a flow of fluid within the inner chamber. The disk is rotated during the servo writing process. The density of a fluid medium within the inner chamber is controlled by a medium control system so that the density of the medium is less than the density of air at one atmosphere. Lowering the density decreases the amplitude of vibrational forces created by the flow of fluid. Decreasing the amplitude reduces errors in the servo writing process. The density can be reduced by pulling a vacuum within the inner chamber. The density can also be reduced by filling the inner chamber with a gas such as helium that has a lower density than air.

Abstract: The invention applies to servo controllers for at least the voice coil motor of a hard disk drive. Today, many control algorithms require 80 to 90 percent of the sampling period to complete their calculation of the next control, making computation time delay no longer negligible. The invention accommodates the transport delay, such as computation time delay, into the state estimator and into the whole control system. Experimental results using a commercial hard drive, as well as simulation results, show that the invention's method effectively improves the hard disk drive control system stability by increasing the phase margin and gain margin. The invention includes the method of operating the servo-controller, as well as the apparatus implementing that method. The invention also includes hard disk drives containing servo-controllers implementing the method, and program systems residing in accessibly coupled memory to a computer within the servo controller implementing the method.

Abstract: A hard disk drive that includes an optical pick-up coupled to a head of a hard disk assembly (“HDA”). The head is located adjacent to a disk. The optical pick-up can sense the surface of the disk by detecting light reflected from the surface. The optical pick-up is coupled to a particle circuit that can distinguish between an embedded particle and a floating particle from the reflected light.

Abstract: An improved and distinctive servo-controller scheme resulting in an overall improvement in PES performance, particularly when applied to hard disk drives employing the invention's TMR reduction mechanisms. The servo-controllers trade off gain in the disk vibration frequency range, in favor of, increased rejection of low frequency disturbances. This leads to the lowest PES statistics, when applied to hard disk drives with the TMR reduction mechanisms of the invention. Improved head gimbal assemblies reducing TMR (Track Mis-Registration) in a hard disk drive are provided. These head gimbal assemblies are as mechanically simple as contemporary head gimbal assemblies, support parallel flying sliders over flat disk surfaces, and reduce TMR induced by disk vibration. They are easier to build, more reliable, and cost less to make, than other known approaches at comparable track densities and rotational rates.

Abstract: An improved and distinctive servo-controller scheme resulting in an overall improvement in PES performance, particularly when applied to hard disk drives employing the invention's TMR reduction mechanisms. The servo-controllers trade off gain in the disk vibration frequency range, in favor of, increased rejection of low frequency disturbances. This leads to the lowest PES statistics, when applied to hard disk drives with the TMR reduction mechanisms of the invention. Improved head gimbal assemblies reducing TMR (Track Mis-Registration) in a hard disk drive are provided. These head gimbal assemblies are as mechanically simple as contemporary head gimbal assemblies, support parallel flying sliders over flat disk surfaces, and reduce TMR induced by disk vibration. They are easier to build, more reliable, and cost less to make, than other known approaches at comparable track densities and rotational rates.