Arcuate Head Movement Patents (Class 360/264.1)
  • Patent number: 8369046
    Abstract: In a disk drive suspension including a baseplate, a load beam, and a flexure, the suspension comprises a recess formed in one surface of the load beam relative to the thickness thereof, a damping material contained in the recess, and a lid portion superposed on the damping material so as to cover at least a part of the recess. The lid portion is formed of a part of a flexure. The flexure is an example of a suspension constituent member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 5, 2013
    Assignee: NHK Spring Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Akira Nojima
  • Patent number: 8289655
    Abstract: In a hard disk drive (HDD), a ratio of the distance R between the axis of rotation of an actuator and a magnetic head to the distance R0 between the axis of rotation of the actuator and the center of a disk is in the range of 0.9 to 0.96. Thus, the deviation of the skew angles for the tracks from 0 degrees is minimized and yet a swing arm of the actuator can be relatively short. Accordingly, not only is the recording density maximized, but the HDD can be small and light as well.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 12, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2012
    Assignee: Seagate Technology International
    Inventor: Chul-woo Lee
  • Patent number: 8111485
    Abstract: An actuator for supporting data transfer elements includes an arm, a flexible circuit assembly and a sensor. The flexible circuit assembly includes a stiffener having a mount feature and a turnaround feature. The flexible circuit assembly also includes a flexible cable having a plurality of conductive traces for electrically connecting the data transfer elements to circuitry. The flexible cable has a service loop portion, a mounting portion coupled to the mount feature of the stiffener and a turnaround portion coupled to the turnaround feature of the stiffener. The turnaround portion is configured to couple the mounting portion to the service loop portion. The sensor is in contact with a surface of the arm and is electrically coupled to the flexible cable.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 2008
    Date of Patent: February 7, 2012
    Assignee: Seagate Technology LLC
    Inventors: Rick Pfahl Freeman, Neal Frank Gunderson, Andrew Robert Motzko, Erik Jon Lindquist
  • Publication number: 20110242706
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, a servo area of a magnetic recording medium includes magnetic dots arrayed at a period L0. The magnetic dots include a plurality of magnetic dot regions divided in the cross track direction. A width Wm in the down track direction of the mth magnetic dot region from the innermost circumference and a number Nm of dot rows in the down track direction of the mth region meet a relationship represented by L0{Nm?3/2?0.3}?Wm?L0{Nm?3/2+0.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 2, 2011
    Publication date: October 6, 2011
    Applicant: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA
    Inventors: Masatoshi SAKURAI, Ryosuke YAMAMOTO, Naoko KIHARA, Akiko YUZAWA, Yoshiyuki KAMATA
  • Patent number: 7986484
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention recite a method and system for fabricating a data storage medium. In one embodiment, a detectable pattern is created at the surface of a substrate. An electron beam lithography process is then initiated upon the substrate. The detectable pattern is used to control the positioning of an electron beam relative to the surface of the substrate during the electron beam lithography process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2007
    Date of Patent: July 26, 2011
    Assignee: Hitachi Global Storage Technologies, Netherlands B.V.
    Inventors: Zvonimir Z. Bandic, Michael A. Moser
  • Patent number: 7821741
    Abstract: One embodiment in accordance with the invention is an apparatus comprising a movement guide that can be utilized with a data storage device. The movement guide can be for preventing a magnetic head of the data storage device from contacting a disk of the data storage device during operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 27, 2006
    Date of Patent: October 26, 2010
    Assignee: Hitachi Global Storage Technologies Netherlands, B.V.
    Inventors: Alfredo Z. Abustan, Jr., Mark Valen L. Aganon
  • Patent number: 7673381
    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.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 8, 2006
    Date of Patent: March 9, 2010
    Assignee: NHK Spring Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kenichi Takikawa, Masao Hanya, Noriyuki Saito
  • Publication number: 20100053804
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides a vibration damper for an actuator assembly. One exemplary embodiment relates to an actuator assembly including a magnetic assembly configured to produce a magnetic field and an actuator movable relative to the magnetic assembly in response to the magnetic field, wherein the actuator includes a vibration damper which interacts with the magnetic field.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 27, 2008
    Publication date: March 4, 2010
    Applicant: Seagate Technology LLC
    Inventors: Roy John MacKinnon, Larry Ernest Wittig, Jonathan Scott Haynes
  • Patent number: 7650685
    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.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 8, 2006
    Date of Patent: January 26, 2010
    Assignee: NHK Spring Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hajime Tada, Masao Hanya, Kenichi Takikawa, Eiji Watadani
  • Patent number: 7624495
    Abstract: A lubricant is applied to swage contact surfaces in a disk drive of the type including a suspension arm connected to an actuator arm by a swaging process. A preferred thin film lubricant may be applied to the contact surfaces by immersion and draining, immersion and raising the part out of the solution, localized spraying, or various deposition processes. Application of the lubricant reduces chipping during de-swaging, particularly with nickel plated metal components. Application of the lubricant has also shown to improve gram load uniformity, reduce adverse distortion to the actuator assembly and reduces torque out retention values. Improved gram load uniformity enhances overall disk drive functioning, reduced distortion preserves intended attitude and flatness of the actions for assembly and reduced torque out retention values improves reworkability of the disk drive.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 18, 2006
    Date of Patent: December 1, 2009
    Assignee: Maxtor Corporation
    Inventors: Mark S. Crowder, Richard E. Rupp, Jr., John McCrandall
  • Patent number: 7587808
    Abstract: A method of coupling a voice coil motor to a bowl-type base plate of a hard disk drive is described for a hard disk drive including a voice coil motor having a coil coupled to a rear end portion of an actuator arm, an upper yoke and a lower yoke provided at upper and lower portions of the coil respectively, a bowl-type base plate having a plurality of flattened structures for fastening the lower yoke in a position relative to the bowl-type base plate and a countersink formed in the lower yoke.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 12, 2007
    Date of Patent: September 15, 2009
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Do-wan Kim, Byoung-gyou Choi
  • Patent number: 7562434
    Abstract: When crimping suspensions to carriage arms using a metal ball by applying ultrasonic vibration to a crimping tool, the suspensions can be crimped to the carriage arms without causing deformation to the suspensions and the like. A method of assembling a carriage assembly aligns attachment holes provided in front ends of carriage arms and crimping portions provided on suspensions to set the suspensions on the carriage arms and then presses a ball through crimping holes provided in the crimping portions while applying ultrasonic vibration to the crimping tool to crimp the suspensions to the carriage arms. When doing so, a ball, such as a ball whose surface has been subjected to a dimpling process, for which a load that acts on the ball when the ball passes through the crimping holes is low compared to a spherical ball is used to crimp the suspensions to the carriage arms.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 30, 2006
    Date of Patent: July 21, 2009
    Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
    Inventors: Naoki Ishikawa, Hidehiko Kira, Hiroshi Kobayashi, Takayoshi Matsumura
  • Patent number: 7506427
    Abstract: A method of assembling a carriage assembly is disclosed. The method is are capable of suppressing fluctuation in the crimped (deformed) states of spacer portions when suspensions are attached to carriage arms. The method aligns fitting holes 10a provided in carriage arms 10 with spacer holes 12b of suspensions 12. Then the method passes a ball 20 with a diameter equal to or greater than an inner diameter of the spacer holes 12b through the spacer holes 12b to crimp edge portions of the spacer holes 12b in spacer portions 12a and thereby attach the suspensions 12 to the carriage arms 10. While the ball 20 is being pressed and sandwiched from both sides of the spacer holes 12b by two pressure-applying members 40a, 40b an ultrasonic vibration is applied to the two pressure-applying members 40a, 40b, the two pressure applying members 40a, 40b are moved so as to pass the ball 20 through the spacer holes 12b.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2006
    Date of Patent: March 24, 2009
    Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
    Inventors: Takayoshi Matsumura, Naoki Ishikawa, Hiroshi Kobayashi, Hidehiko Kira
  • Patent number: 7369355
    Abstract: A magnetic disk drive apparatus includes a housing member with first and second faces opposed to each other, at least part of each of the first and second faces being opened, a first cover member for covering the first face of the housing member, a second cover member for covering the second face of the housing member, a first HGA including a first magnetic head slider and a first suspension for supporting the first magnetic head slider, a second HGA including a second magnetic head slider and a second suspension for supporting the second magnetic head slider, a first support arm for supporting the first HGA, a second support arm for supporting the second HGA, a magnetic disk with both surfaces to which the first and second magnetic head sliders are opposed, respectively, and a motor for rotating the magnetic disk. The magnetic disk and the motor are attached to the housing member, the first support arm is attached to the first cover member, and the second support arm is attached to the second cover member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 2004
    Date of Patent: May 6, 2008
    Assignee: SAE Magnetics (H.K. ) Ltd.
    Inventors: Yiu Sing Ho, Takehiro Kamigama, Masashi Shiraishi
  • Publication number: 20080013217
    Abstract: A hard disk drive includes a voice coil motor yoke, a base to support the voice coil motor yoke, and formed of a material different from that of the voice coil motor yoke, and a thermal deformation prevention unit which is formed of a material that is substantially the same as that of the voice coil motor yoke, provided between the voice coil motor yoke and the base, and thereby preventing mechanical deformation due to different thermal expansion coefficients between the voice coil motor yoke and the base.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 26, 2007
    Publication date: January 17, 2008
    Applicant: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Jae-Suk LEE
  • Patent number: 7221532
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention are directed to methods of making a disk drive and related servo writers. The disk drive includes a data storage disk, an actuator arm, and a head connected to the actuator arm. The disk drive is connected to a servo writer that includes a push-arm that is configured to radially move the actuator arm relative to the disk. The method includes moving the push-arm of the servo writer a defined distance to push the actuator arm and position the head at a defined radial location on the disk. Servo fields are written through the head along an arc at the defined radial location on the disk. A sensor that contacts the actuator arm is used to generate an electrical vibration signal that is indicative of vibration between the push-arm and the actuator arm.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2005
    Date of Patent: May 22, 2007
    Assignee: Maxtor Corporation
    Inventor: Dinesh Shukla
  • Patent number: 7151649
    Abstract: A solid-state actuation mechanism for use in a data storage system. The actuation mechanism includes an anchor fixedly attached to a housing of the data storage system, a spring member including a first end coupled to the anchor, a suspension coupled to a second end of the spring member, the suspension supporting a data head above a media surface, the suspension being biased by the spring member toward a first position, and an actuation component coupled to the suspension. The actuation component configured to apply an actuation force to the suspension to move the suspension laterally relative to the media surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 2003
    Date of Patent: December 19, 2006
    Assignee: Seagate Technology LLC
    Inventors: Zine-Eddine Boutaghou, Joel David Limmer
  • Patent number: 7072147
    Abstract: A rotary actuator system includes an actuator block, a head mounting block, and a linkage arm connecting the actuator block and the head mounting block. The system further includes an actuator motor operatively connected to the actuator block for rotating a link. The linkage arm includes a drive link which is rotated by the actuator motor and a guide link spaced apart from the drive link. The drive link has a first end and a second end; the drive link is pivotally connected to the actuator block at the first end and connected to the head mounting block at the second end. The guide link has a first end and a second end; the guide link is connected to the actuator block at the first end and connected to the head mounting block at the second end.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 20, 2003
    Date of Patent: July 4, 2006
    Assignee: Seagate Technology LLC
    Inventors: Joel David Limmer, Zine-Eddine Boutaghou, Wayne Allen Bonin
  • Patent number: 7024754
    Abstract: A method is provided for assembling an actuator assembly of a disk drive. The method includes providing an actuator arm, providing a suspension arm, fixing a swage plate to the suspension arm, the swage plate including a swage boss extending therefrom, depositing a film lubricant upon at least an outer surface of the swage boss, and attaching the suspension arm to the actuator arm by swaging. A method is also provided for reducing torque out retention values between the actuator arm and the suspension arm when the actuator arm and suspension arm must be separated in a subsequent de-swaging process. This method includes providing an outer surface of the swage boss, and applying a lubricant film coating to the outer surface of the swage boss. A preferred thin film lubricant may be applied by emersion and draining, localized spraying, or various deposition processes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 10, 2001
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2006
    Assignee: Maxtor Corporation
    Inventors: Mark S. Crowder, Richard E. Rupp, Jr., John McCrandall
  • Patent number: 6977790
    Abstract: An actuator arm assembly has an actuator arm and an actuator for moving the actuator arm whereby the arm assembly experiences vibrations. The actuator has a body with a recess formed therein, and a strain sensor is fitted essentially inside the recess such that the sensor generates signals correlated to the vibrations. This arrangement produces a high gain boost from the strain based sensor, making an amplifier circuit unnecessary. The sensor signals are used to damp the vibrations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 3, 2002
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2005
    Assignee: Maxtor Corporation
    Inventors: Yih-Jen D. Chen, David M. Tung, Lin Guo, Wei Guo, Bill Wang
  • Patent number: 6941641
    Abstract: A method for mounting removably secured actuator arms that include head suspensions to an actuator assembly spindle. Each arm is mounted to an actuator spindle via a spacer with an annular lip with at least one detent formed into its perimeter edge. Each actuator arm includes two resilient fingers, annularly shaped to form an interior radius smaller than the spacer radius with at least one engagement member formed into a finger. Each arm is mounted by expanding the resilient fingers to a stressed state, engaging the fingers with the lip, and positioning the fingers so that each engagement member is aligned and engaged with a detent. The spacer alternatively includes a guide slot in a planar surface from which the lip extends, with the guide slot being engaged by a boss tower on the arm to properly orient the arm when mounting the arm to the spacer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 2002
    Date of Patent: September 13, 2005
    Assignee: Hutchinson Technology Incorporated
    Inventor: Shane J. Van Sloun
  • Patent number: 6865061
    Abstract: A disk drive is rotatably disposed in a direction vertical to the recording surface of a recording medium. The disk drive comprises a support arm having a head at one side thereof, and a first member which abuts the other end of the support arm, generating a frictional force between the member and the support arm, when the support arm is moved in a direction along the recording surface of the recording medium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 21, 2003
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2005
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Makoto Miyamoto, Hideki Kuwajima, Kenichi Sakamoto
  • Publication number: 20030165032
    Abstract: A disk drive is rotatably disposed in a direction vertical to the recording surface of a recording medium. The disk drive comprises a support arm having a head at one side thereof, and a first member which abuts the other end of the support arm, generating a frictional force between the member and the support arm, when the support arm is moved in a direction along the recording surface of the recording medium.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 21, 2003
    Publication date: September 4, 2003
    Inventors: Makoto Miyamoto, Hideki Kuwajima, Kenichi Sakamoto
  • Patent number: 6600632
    Abstract: A conductive lock washer for safely dissipating electrostatic charge which builds up on a disk surface without discharge across the head/dish gap. The lock washer, including a series of alternating inner and outer tabs, acts to reduce torque on the spindle washer damper and hoop stress on the washer itself, while still creating a conductive pathway to the top cover of the hard drive assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 19, 2000
    Date of Patent: July 29, 2003
    Assignee: Maxtor Corporation
    Inventors: Vaclav Prochazka, Dana C. Fisher, Matthew J. Sandor, D. Michael Keffeler
  • Patent number: 6462912
    Abstract: An improved latch system for use in a disc drive is provided including an improved means for eliminating tolerances in the parked position of the actuator arm in the landing zone on the disc. According to this system, the latch system includes latch arm having a rotary engaging portion which engages a portion of the transducer support arm or actuator arm in the disc drive to prevent movement of the transducer when the shock appears; this latch arm is directly coupled to an air vane which extends parallel to the edge of the disc in a region nearly adjacent to the actuator arm and at a distance at a center of the disc which is just greater than the radius of the disc so that the vane extends partially along an arc or a line near to the edge of the disc. The latch arm and vane are arranged so that in the presence of disc rotation, wind generated by the disc presses against the vane, and the vane moves away from the disc.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 6, 1995
    Date of Patent: October 8, 2002
    Assignee: Seagate Technology LLC
    Inventors: Narayanaswamy Pasupathy, Long Van Ngo, Mark Joseph Fernandes, Ramgopal Battu
  • Patent number: 6349464
    Abstract: A method of making a balance-compensated (BC) rotary actuator for use in a rotatable BC head stack assembly (HSA) portion in a disk drive based upon track-follow characteristics of a rotatable test HSA portion is provided. The test HSA portion includes a test rotary actuator having a test actuator weight specification. The test rotary actuator has an actuator body portion, a test pivot axis extending through the actuator body portion and a head connected to the actuator body portion. The test rotary actuator is controlled to rotate about the test pivot axis for positioning the head over a selected disk track. The test rotary actuator has a test rotary actuator center-of-gravity torque vector associated therewith about the test pivot axis. The method provides for vibrating the disk drive at a vibration frequency in order to vibrate the test HSA portion. Position error information is read using the head while performing a track-follow operation during the vibrating of the test HSA portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2000
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2002
    Assignee: Western Digital Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Raffi Codilian, Shawn E. Casey
  • Patent number: 6349019
    Abstract: This invention provides a magnetic head device to be incorporated in a hard disc drive device which can minimize the fluctuations in the height of a floating head slider between the outer periphery and inner periphery of a magnetic disc and which has stable floating characteristics over the whole recording area thereof. The magnetic head device includes a head arm which is attached within a hard disc drive device in a rotatable/swingable manner and a head slider fixed on an end of a suspension member extending from the head arm, wherein the distance between the rotational center of the head arm to the center of the head slider and the position of the center of the rotation of the head arm are so determined to satisfy the relation, −0.1≦(D−L)≦0.6 W−4.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 5, 1994
    Date of Patent: February 19, 2002
    Assignee: TDK Corporation
    Inventors: Toshihiro Iizuka, Yukihito Ito, Shoji Toyoda
  • Patent number: 6205004
    Abstract: A device for fixing an actuator and a cover in a hard disk drive is provided with a body base having a boss and a screw hole formed on the boss. A pivot bearing is formed at the center of the actuator and fit around the boss, a cylindrical ring of a predetermined length is closely inserted into the pivot bearing, a hole is formed on the cover, and a pivot screw is tightened into the screw hole of the boss through the hole of the cover and the cylindrical ring. Therefore, the actuator and the cover are simultaneously fixed on the base body by the pivot screw.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 1999
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2001
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Myung-Il Kim
  • Patent number: 6181509
    Abstract: Embodiments include a disk drive having a drive motor assembly including at least one component selected from the group consisting of a rotatable hub, disk spacer, disk clamp, backiron, lower bearing bushing, and lower mounting flange. At least one of the components comprises a low sulfur outgassing free machining stainless steel material. The low sulfur outgassing free machining stainless steel material may include a free machining stainless steel that outgases sulfur at a rate insufficient to cause visually observable sulfide corrosion when tested by placing a copper strip into contact with the free machining stainless steel in an environment having a temperature of 50° C. and 90% relative humidity for a 7 day test period and then observing the copper strip.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 1999
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2001
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Eduardo Gatmaitan Canlas, Andrew Keith Hanlon, Brad Vaughn Johnson, Keith Freeman Wood, Deborah L. Yaney