Western Digital Technologies, Inc.

Aaron D Little

Gregory G Foisy

Lidu Huang

John R Gustafson

Lin Yang

Jin Hui Ou-Yang

Scott Edward Watson

Chiao-Ping (Roger) Ku

John Edward Scura

Chen-Chi Lin

Serge Hauert

Joshua P Weiher

Victor W Santini

Gary C Griffin

Seungman Chang

Kevin R Sill

Peter G Robinson

Sudha Narayanan

A disk drive enclosure includes a cover and a base having a first hole therethrough. A head actuator is pivotably attached to the base by an actuator pivot bearing having a pivot bearing shaft with a lower internally threaded section and a flat annular support surface that is facing and in preloaded contact with a flat mating surface of the disk drive base around the first hole. A bearing member is disposed around the pivot bearing shaft and between the pivot bearing shaft and the bore of the actuator. A first screw has an externally threaded section that is engaged with the lower internally threaded section of the pivot bearing shaft. The first screw has a screw head with an external annular seating surface in contact with and forming a continuous annular seal with an internal annular seating surface of the first hole.

Disk drive with self sealing screw attachment of actuator pivot

An actuator pivot bearing is disposed at least partially within a pivot bearing bore of a disk drive actuator. The actuator pivot bearing includes a fixed inner bearing shaft having a lower portion that is attached to the disk drive base. It may also have a rotatable outer bearing sleeve that is attached to the actuator body. The actuator pivot bearing also includes an adsorptive element (e.g. comprising activated carbon, silica gel, zeolites) disposed between the fixed inner bearing shaft and an inner surface of the pivot bearing bore. In certain embodiments, the adsorptive element may optionally be disposed within an actuator pivot bearing internal cartridge space. A restricted clearance between the rotating and fixed bearing components may partially block a diffusion path from the pivot bearing lubricant to the read head. The adsorptive element may be disposed adjacent that restricted clearance.

Disk drive actuator pivot bearing having an adsorptive element within

A disk drive includes a printed circuit board, an integrated circuit coupled to the printed circuit board, and a disk drive base coupled to the printed circuit board. The disk drive base includes a platform, the platform having a first surface elevated towards the printed circuit board and a second surface further elevated towards the printed circuit board relative to the first surface, the platform being generally aligned with the integrated circuit along an axis normal to the first surface.

Disk drive base having a raised thermal pedestal

A novel disk drive includes a flex cable having a first end portion fixed to an actuator assembly, a second end portion fixed to a flex cable bracket, and a free portion between the first and second end portions. The free portion joins the second end portion at a flex exit location. The flex cable bracket includes a flex alignment post that protrudes into a corresponding hole in a disk drive base. A distance between the flex exit location and the actuator pivot axis is at least 4 times greater than a distance between the flex exit location and the flex alignment post.

Disk drive with flex cable bracket having alignment post by flex exit location

A disk drive includes a cast baseplate, and a disk having a major surface and an outer circumference. The cast baseplate includes a casting inlet gate region, a planar area underlying the disk, an arcuate shroud wall that is substantially orthogonal to the planar area, and an arcuate groove immediately adjacent the planar area. The planar area is separated from the disk major surface by less than 0.8 mm. The arcuate shroud wall is disposed less than 0.8 mm from the disk outer circumference, and includes a first shroud wall portion and a second shroud wall portion. The first shroud wall portion is more proximate to the casting inlet gate region than is the second shroud wall portion. The arcuate groove is immediately adjacent the first shroud wall portion, and defines a groove depth in the range 0.2 mm to 2 mm relative to the planar area.

Cast baseplate for a disk drive having an arcuate shroud wall and adjacent arcuate groove

A radial top cover gasket is used for sealing a disk drive assembly. In one embodiment, a disk drive assembly includes a baseplate having a sidewall disposed about a periphery of the baseplate. The disk drive further includes a top cover that is disposed within the sidewall of the baseplate. A gasket is then radially compressed between the top cover and an inner face of the baseplate sidewall.

Radial top cover gasket for disk drives

A disk drive includes a disk drive base and an actuator that is rotatably coupled to the disk drive base. The actuator has an axis of rotation. The disk drive further includes a latch. The latch includes a fixed portion that is firmly coupled to the disk drive base, and a latching portion. The latch further includes a latch arm portion connecting the latching portion to the fixed portion. The latch arm portion includes a hinge region. The latch arm portion is thinner in a direction normal to the axis of rotation in the hinge region than the latch arm portion is outside of the hinge region. The latch arm portion, the latching portion, and the fixed portion are a single component having material continuity rather than an assembly of sub-components.

Disk drive with an actuator latch having fixed, latching, and latch arm portions being a single component

A disk drive includes a disk drive base. The disk drive further includes a cover. The disk drive further includes a rotary actuator rotably coupled to the disk drive base and the cover. The rotary actuator is disposed between the disk drive base and the cover. The disk drive further includes a post attached to the disk drive base. The post is positioned to limit a pivot arc of the rotary actuator in at least one direction of rotation. The post includes a post distal end extending away from the disk drive base and attached to the cover.

Disk drive including a post attached to a disk drive base and a cover for limiting rotation of an actuator

A hard disk drive recirculation filter is disposed on a housing surface of a disk drive assembly oriented adjacent to one or more disk surfaces. In one embodiment, the recirculation filter is a pocket filter having a filter support component and a filter element. The filter support includes an inlet, a top surface and a bottom surface, where the bottom surface is used to adhere the pocket filter to the housing surface. The top surface is adapted to adhere the filter element thereto, thereby forming a pocket into which rotationally-induced airflow may enter.

Hard disk drive recirculation air filter

A disk drive includes a rotary actuator including a pivot bearing cartridge. The pivot bearing cartridge has a pivot shaft with a shaft body and a shaft threaded end. A disk drive base includes inner and outer sides. The disk drive base includes an actuator support section that has a seal portion including a seal attachment surface disposed along the outer side. The actuator support section includes a raised portion extending from the seal portion towards the inner side. The actuator support section includes a hole portion positioned laterally within the raised portion and extending through the raised portion towards the outer side. The hole portion is engaged with the shaft threaded end. The hole portion includes a distal end that does not extend beyond the seal attachment surface. A seal is disposed upon the attachment surface for sealing the pivot shaft within the disk drive base.

Disk drive including an actuator with a pivot shaft and a disk drive base with an actuator support section for attachment of the pivot shaft and a seal

A disk drive includes a disk drive base including a pair of tab engagement slots. The disk drive further includes a printed circuit board assembly and a PCBA shield including a shield body having opposing first and second ends. The shield body is disposed against the printed circuit board assembly with the printed circuit board assembly between the PCBA shield and the disk drive base. The PCBA shield includes a pair of tabs extending from and integrally formed with the shield body at the first end. The tabs each are respectively disposed in the tab engagement slots for attaching the PCBA shield to the disk drive base. The tabs each are cooperatively sized and configured with the respective tab engagement slots to apply a force between the first end of the shield body and the printed circuit board assembly. The second end is attached to the disk drive base.

Disk drive including a printed circuit board assembly and a PCBA shield with tabs engaged in slots of a disk drive base

Disclosed is a continuous separator plate for use with a disk drive. The continuous separator plate includes a substantially circular continuous outer circumference and a substantially circular continuous inner circumference. A continuous radial portion may be defined between the substantially circular continuous outer and inner circumferences. The continuous radial portion is to be disposed between at least one disk of the disk drive and either the cover or the base of the disk drive, respectively. Further, the continuous radial portion includes a disk side that faces the at least one disk and an opposite side that faces either the cover or the base, respectively. The continuous separator plate further includes a head stack assembly (HSA) accommodation section to accommodate an HSA.

Continuous separator plate for use with a disk drive

A disk drive including a disk drive base and a cover attached to the disk drive base. The disk drive further includes a rotatable disk including a disk surface extending to an outer periphery. The disk drive further includes a spindle motor including an axis of rotation. The spindle motor is rotatably coupled to the disk drive base for rotating the disk about the axis of rotation. The disk drive further includes a shroud surface concentrically formed about and adjacent the outer periphery. The disk drive further includes a cavity formed in the shroud surface. The cavity extends to a cavity opening adjacent the outer periphery. The disk drive further includes an airflow diverter element extending from the cover towards the disk surface radially between the cavity opening and the axis of rotation for diverting disk rotation induced airflow adjacent the disk surface.

Disk drive including an airflow diverter element radially between spindle motor axis of rotation and cavity in shroud surface

A disk drive is disclosed comprising a head, a spindle motor having a hub, the hub comprising a cylindrical shaft, the shaft defining a generally cylindrically-shaped outer surface, the outer surface defining a latching member extending around at least part of the circumference of the shaft. A disk is positioned on the spindle motor and an actuator moves the head radially over the disk. A disk clamp clamps the disk to the spindle motor. The disk clamp comprises a ring-shaped body comprising an outer ring-shaped surface abutting the disk, and an inner neck spaced-apart from the outer ring-shaped surface, the inner neck comprising a plurality of independently flexing teeth for contacting the latching member.

Disk drive comprising a snap-on disk clamp

A method of balancing a disk pack for use in a disk drive according to an aspect of the present invention. The disk pack includes a spindle motor and a rotatable disk. The spindle motor is configured to rotate the disk about an axis of rotation of the spindle motor. The spindle motor has a spindle motor imbalance location indicia upon the spindle motor indicative of a location of a spindle motor location imbalance. The method includes detecting the spindle motor imbalance location indicia. The method further includes placing the disk upon the spindle motor. The method further includes attaching the disk to the spindle motor with the disk being off-set from the axis of rotation based upon the detected spindle motor imbalance location indicia for balancing the disk pack by producing a disk off-set imbalance in relation to the axis of rotation.

Growing community of inventors

Campbell, CA, United States of America

Aaron D Little