Abstract: Provided herein is an apparatus including a hard drive base. A number of disks are rotatably connected to the hard drive base, and there are a number of disk gaps between the disks. A shroud extends in a circumferential span around the disks, wherein the shroud extends less than the circumference of the disks. The shroud is positioned between the disk gaps and an upwardly sloping gas channel. A number of arcuate gas channels are in the shroud, wherein each arcuate gas channel is horizontally aligned with a corresponding disk gap. The arcuate gas channels connect the disk gaps to the upwardly sloping gas channel.

Abstract: A base of a disk drive apparatus includes a bottom plate portion and a wall portion. The wall portion includes an increased thickness portion and a decreased thickness portion. An inner surface of the increased thickness portion includes a first slanting surface arranged to extend radially outward away from a central axis while extending axially away from the bottom plate portion. An inner surface of the decreased thickness portion includes a second slanting surface arranged to extend radially outward away from the central axis while extending axially away from the bottom plate portion, and protrude radially inward relative to the first slanting surface. An inclination angle of the second slanting surface with respect to an axial direction is arranged to be smaller than an inclination angle of the first slanting surface with respect to the axial direction.

Abstract: A spoiler (40) that is a rectifying component for a magnetic disk device including a flat plate-like plate portion (41) arranged to face a magnetic disk (10), and a support portion (42) that supports the plate portion (41) includes a body portion (401) made of a resin, and a metal plating layer (402) that covers an entire surface of the body portion (401).

Abstract: Improving track following performance and reliability in a hard disk drive involves the use of disk separator plates positioned between adjacent recording disks, where a disk separator plate is made of stamped metal with plastic over-molded mounting portions coupled to the metal, thereby reducing the reliability risks associated with the use of fiber-filled materials.

Abstract: Shrouding a disc to attenuate excitation energy of windage created by rotating the disc, with a shroud defining an edge-wise gap between the shroud and the disc, and the shroud further defining surface-wise gaps between the shroud and opposing disc surfaces, wherein the surface-wise gaps are characterized by opposing parallel surfaces having protuberant features depending therefrom toward each other that define minimum clearances with the disc surfaces.

Abstract: Approaches to use of a squeeze air bearing for supporting and/or rotating the disks in a hard-disk drive. The squeeze bearing, whose effect is based on relative normal motion between two surfaces, is arranged adjacent to the rim of the disk to provide a bearing force at the disk rim. The squeeze bearing comprises multiple cantilevered arms with one end fixed to a support ring assembly and the other end having one or more vibrational element which, when vibrating, provides the bearing force. At least one of the vibrational elements is configured at an angle to the disk rim and which, when vibrating, provides a tangential force to rotate the disk for HDD operational purposes. Therefore, such a squeeze bearing provides an integrated solution for bearing and rotating the disk(s) of an HDD, thereby eliminating the need for a liquid-based disk spindle motor system.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, a disk drive includes a case including a base with a bottom wall, a drive motor on the bottom wall of the base, a plurality of disk recording mediums rotatable by the drive motor, a magnetic head configured to perform data processing on the recording mediums, a carriage on the bottom wall of the base, configured to support the magnetic head for movement relative to the recording mediums, a drive section including a yoke and a magnet on the bottom wall of the base and configured to drive the carriage, and a spoiler including a main body, which includes a magnetic shield member between the yoke and the recording mediums, and a baffle plate extending from the main body and between the adjacent disk recording mediums.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, a disk drive includes a housing, a disk recording medium in the housing, a drive motor, a head, a carriage configured to support the head for movement, and a flow regulation member between the recording medium and a sidewall of the housing, except for a moving region for the carriage. The flow regulation member includes a shroud member, which is located substantially flush the recording medium and adjacently faces the outer peripheral edge of the recording medium, and a plurality of fins protruding from the shroud member and configured individually to guide an airflow passing along a surface of the recording medium toward the outer periphery of the shroud member and prevent a backflow toward a center of the recording medium.

Abstract: In order to effectively reduce disk flutter in a disk drive by using simple structures and efficient manufacturing techniques, a disk drive, in one embodiment, includes a base, a spindle motor coupled to the bottom of the base, a disk coupled to and rotated by a rotational shaft of the spindle motor, an airflow reduction plate coupled inside the base and positioned opposite to and away from a main plane of the disk, and a sidewall section inside the base which is positioned opposite to an outer edge of the disk and has a form along the outer edge of the disk. A first gap between at least one half of a part positioned opposite to the sidewall section in an outer edge of the airflow reduction plate and the sidewall section is smaller than a second gap between the sidewall section and the outer edge of the disk.

Abstract: Described herein is a disk drive having a disk receiving surface with an outer diameter. The drive can include a peripheral edge that extends transverse to the disk receiving surface and circumferentially about at least a portion of the outer diameter of the disk receiving surface. The drive can also include a disk limiter that extends between and transverse to the disk receiving surface and the peripheral edge to provide a transition between the disk receiving surface and a surface of the peripheral edge.

Abstract: An aerodynamic device for aerostatic sealing in a hard disk drive (HDD) comprising an exterior surface configured to modify airflow in the hard disk drive and proximate at least one magnetic disk, a plurality of inlet ports disposed on the exterior surface configured to intake air away from the at least one magnetic disk and aerostatically seal the aerodynamic device with the at least one magnetic disk and a single outlet port configured to discharge the intake air.

Abstract: Approaches for a hard-disk drive (HDD) comprised within a sealed enclosure that is filled with a substantially helium gas are provided. The HDD may include a shroud that surrounds a majority of a perimeter of a magnetic-recording disk. The HDD may also include an upstream spoiler having one or more wings. The shape of the upstream spoiler diverts a flow of the substantially helium gas that circulates when the magnetic-recording disk is rotating from a magnetic-recording head to a plenum chamber. The plenum chamber has a mouth that allows a portion of the circulating flow of substantially helium gas to flow therein. The mouth of the plenum chamber is a gap in the shroud that is prior to the upstream spoiler in the circulating flow of the substantially helium gas. A portion of the plenum chamber is formed using a particle filter opposing the gap.

Abstract: A disk drive disk has a disk rim and a shroud faces the disk rim. At least one of the disk rim and the shroud interior surface have features formed thereon that cause both axial and circumferential air flow when the disk is rotated relative to the shroud, and the features extend for an axial distance of no more than the axial thickness of the disk. The features may extend both axially and circumferentially relative to said at least one of the disk rim and the shroud interior surface. The features may be slanted or helical slits. The disk rim also may be asymmetric, such as asymmetrically beveled.

Abstract: An integrated bypass channel and diverter assembly for hard disk drives having small form factors is disclosed. A bypass channel is formed directly in the base plate to allow a partial bypass to exist with or without a diverter feature. The design addresses the issue of proper disk shrouding at the same time as providing the desired features for small form factor drives. The invention includes three datum planes for aligning the machined features of the bypass channel with the drive during assembly. The machined bypass channel and the upstream diverter may be combined to form the integrated assembly. The primary air flow direction from the disk stack is through the integrated partial bypass in the enclosure body and around the diverter into the main bypass channel. The invention provides a drop-in position for the diverter that has minimal encroachment into the VCM area of the drive.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention provide a magnetic disk unit capable of attaining miniaturization, lower cost, lighter weight, lower profile, and higher density. According to one embodiment, only a carriage and a spindle motor among respective constituent components of a hard disk drive (HDD) are securely attached to a support plate made of a hard metal material higher in rigidity than a shroud. All the constituent components of the HDD, except the carriage, and the spindle motor, (a voice coil motor, a ramp, a latch lever, an HDD connector and so forth), that is, the respective constituent components of the HDD, of which assembling precision, rigidity, and so forth are not required, are attached to the shroud small in wall-thickness, and lighter in weight, formed of a resin material such as plastics and so forth.

Abstract: A hard disk drive including a base portion, a motor-hub assembly to which at least one disk is coupled, the motor-hub assembly coupled with the base portion and an airflow shroud coupled with the base portion. The airflow shroud including an airflow inlet oriented parallel to the disk and an airflow outlet oriented perpendicular to the disk. In so doing, the airflow shroud reduces vibration of a rotating disk in a hard disk drive.

Abstract: A disk drive. The disk drive includes a head-slider, an actuator, a ramp and a shroud. The head-slider is configured to fly above the disk. The actuator is configured to support the head-slider and to swing about a pivot shaft to move the head-slider in a radial direction of the disk. The actuator may also be configured to rest on the ramp in a stand-by position. The shroud includes an inner peripheral side surface and an outer peripheral side surface. The shroud is configured to control an air-stream which flows in a direction from the pivot shaft toward the head-slider. The inner peripheral side surface and the outer peripheral side surface are configured to blast the head-slider with the air-stream upon spinning the disk when the head-slider is positioned away from the disk in the stand-by position.