Western Digital Technologies, Inc.

Other

Advanced Numicro Systems, Inc.

Chen-Chi Lin

Kamran Oveyssi

Yee-Chung Fu

Richard G Krum

Chunjer Chuck Cheng

Lidu Huang

Shawn E Casey

John Edward Scura

Aaron D Little

Jian Yang

Victor W Santini

Seungman Chang

Sudha Narayanan

A torsional electrostatic combdrive with increased stiffness is disclosed. The torsional electrostatic combdrive includes a movable combteeth group, a stationary combteeth group, and a stationary link group. The stiffness of the torsional electrostatic combdrive is increased by coupling the stationary link group to the stationary combteeth group. Advantageously, the present invention promotes reduced gaps of engaging combteeth, increased snap-in voltage of combteeth, and reduced driving voltage of the combdrive.

Torsional electrostatic combdrive with increased stiffness

A disk clamp for clamping an information storage disk to a rotating spindle in a disk drive includes a deflection portion that is annular and conical in shape, and which has a material thickness, an outer extent, and an inner extent. In certain embodiments, the inner extent is offset from the outer extent by a particular height measured parallel to an axis of rotation of the disk clamp. The disk clamp may further include a disk contact portion that is disposed radially outboard from the deflection portion, and which may include a curvature radially outboard of the outer extent that departs from a projection of the deflection portion, and a surface for contacting the information storage disk.

Belleville disk clamp

A touch panel system includes a panel, first and second scanning mirrors located about first and second panel corners, a photodetector array along a first panel edge between the first and the second panel corners, and a stationary plane mirror along a second panel edge adjacent to the first panel edge. The first scanning mirror sweeps a light beam across the panel. The second mirror sweeps another light beam across the panel, a part of which reflects from the stationary plane mirror to back into the panel to sweep the panel from a different angle. The light beams, including the reflected part from the stationary plane mirror, strike objects on the panel and reflect towards the photodetector array. Angular positions of the first and the second scanning mirrors at the times the photodetector array detects the reflected light are correlated to object locations.

Scanning mirror touch screen

An actuator for a disk drive is disclosed. The actuator includes a plurality of arms including an upper outer arm, a lower outer arm, and at least one inner arm. The outer arms each include a region of reduced width and also include a region of increased thickness, both such regions being located closer to a proximal supported end of the outer arm than to its distal end. Each region of increased thickness has a minimum thickness that is more than the thickness of the inner arm at an equal distance from the axis. Each region of reduced width has a minimum width that is less than the minimum width of the inner arm at an equal distance from the axis.

Disk drive actuator with outer arms having regions of reduced width and increased thickness

A disk drive includes a pivot-bearing cartridge configured to pivotally support the head stack assembly on the base of the drive. A tolerance ring is coupled to the pivot-bearing cartridge and includes a single sleeve defining an inner sleeve surface facing the pivot-bearing cartridge and an outer sleeve surface facing away therefrom, and a layer of dampening material disposed on the inner or outer sleeve surfaces so as to be in contact with the pivot-bearing cartridge or the bore surface of the through bore that is defined in the body portion of the head stack assembly, respectively.

Disk drive including pivot-bearing cartridge tolerance ring having a damping layer for actuator resonance reduction

A disk drive includes a disk and a head stack assembly for reading and writing to the disk. The head stack assembly includes a body portion, a first actuator arm cantilevered from the body portion and a second actuator arm cantilevered from the body portion. A coil portion is cantilevered from the body portion in an opposite direction from the first and second actuator arms. An actuator arm spacer is disposed between the first and second actuator arms and away from the body portion, and mechanically links the first and second actuator arms.

Head stack and actuator arm assemblies and disk drives having an actuator including an actuator arm spacer to increase actuator and suspension stiffness and to reduce the number of actuator arm resonance modes

An actuator arm assembly for a disk having a recording surface, the actuator arm assembly includes an actuator body including a bore defining a longitudinal pivot axis and an actuator arm cantilevered from the actuator body. The actuator arm includes an arm major portion cantilevered from the actuator body, an arm tip portion, and an arm tip supporting portion integrally formed with the arm major portion and the arm tip portion, wherein the arm major portion is longitudinally spaced-apart at a greater distance from the recording surface than the arm tip portion.

Disk drive actuator arm assembly having a portion of the arm at a greater distance from a disk recording surface than the arm tip portion

A disk drive includes a disk drive base and at least one rotatable disk including a disk surface extending to an outer disk edge. The disk drive further includes a head stack assembly rotatably attached to the disk drive base in operable communication with the disk, the head stack assembly including an actuator arm disposed adjacent the disk surface. The disk drive further includes an airflow blocker coupled to the disk drive base for mitigation of disk rotation induced airflow upon the head stack assembly. The airflow blocker includes a blocker body disposed adjacent the outer disk edge attached to the disk drive base. The airflow blocker further includes a blocker arm portion extending from the blocker body along the disk surface. The airflow blocker further includes a planar portion extending from the blocker arm portion disposed along the actuator arm when the actuator arm is rotated over the disk surface.

Disk drive including an airflow blocker with a planar portion extending from a blocker arm portion

A disk drive includes a disk and a head stack assembly for reading and writing to the disk. The head stack assembly includes a body portion defining a through bore that defines a pivot axis; an actuator arm cantilevered from the body portion and a head gimbal assembly coupled to the actuator arm. A coil portion is cantilevered from the body portion in an opposite direction from the actuator arm. The coil portion defines first and second actuator fork members and includes a coil supported by the first and second actuator fork members. A bobbin is configured to stiffen the coil portion, and is attached to an inner periphery of the coil. The bobbin may define a first truss and a second truss that crosses the first truss. An adhesive is disposed between the bobbin and the wound coil.

Head stack and actuator arm assemblies including a bobbin to stiffen the coil portion of an actuator of a hard disk drive and disk drives including the same

A disk drive, includes a disk and a head stack assembly for reading and writing to the disk. The head stack assembly includes a body portion defining a through bore that defines a pivot axis; an actuator arm cantilevered from the body portion, the actuator arm defining a thickness, the actuator arm defining at least one through slot in the thickness thereof through which air can flow, each through slot defining a slot surface that is generally perpendicular to the pivot axis; a coil portion cantilevered from the body portion in an opposite direction from the actuator arm, and a head gimbal assembly coupled to the actuator arm.

Disk drive actuator arm assembly having one or more slotted actuator arms

A head stack assembly for use in a disk drive. The head stack assembly includes an actuator body. The head stack assembly further includes an actuator arm extending from the actuator body. The actuator arm includes an arm tip portion. The head stack assembly further includes a suspension attached to the arm tip portion. The head stack assembly further includes a laminated nut plate attached to the arm tip portion and the suspension. The nut plate includes first and second metal layers and a damping layer interposed between the first and second metal layers for mitigating vibration of the suspension with respect to the actuator arm.

Head stack assembly including laminated nut plate with damping layer interposed between metal layers

A disk drive includes a disk, a latch assembly including a magnet and a head stack assembly for reading and writing to the disk. The head stack assembly includes a body portion defining a through bore that defines a pivot axis; an actuator arm cantilevered from the body portion; a head gimbal assembly coupled to the actuator arm; a coil portion cantilevered from the body portion in an opposite direction from the actuator arm, the coil portion defining first and second actuator fork members, one of the first and second actuator fork members defining a tang-supporting surface, the tang-supporting surface defining at least one cleating feature configured to increase a surface area of the tang-supporting surface, and a tang configured to interact with the magnet, the tang being attached to the tang-supporting surface by a layer of adhesive disposed on the tang-supporting surface.

Cleating features to improve adhesive interface between an actuator tang and a tang-supporting surface of an actuator assembly of a hard disk drive

Disclosed is an actuator for use with a disk drive having a coil assembly including a bobbin to aid in heat convection from the coil of the coil assembly. The actuator includes a body portion for pivotally coupling to the disk drive and an actuator arm cantilevered from the body portion for supporting a head gimbal assembly (HGA). The actuator further includes a coil assembly having a fork, a coil, and a bobbin. The fork is cantilevered from the body portion in an opposite direction from the actuator arm and includes a pair of opposed prongs to mount the coil and the bobbin therebetween. The bobbin includes at least two opposed fins to aid in the convection of heat from the coil.

Actuator for use with a disk drive having a coil assembly including a bobbin to aid in heat convection from the coil of the coil assembly

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

An actuator for a disk drive. The actuator includes an actuator body defining an axis of rotation and including a body lateral surface disposed generally parallel to the axis of rotation. The actuator further includes an actuator arm extending from the actuator body. The actuator arm includes an arm base disposed adjacent the actuator body. The actuator further includes a coil support extending from the actuator body opposite the actuator arm. The coil support includes a coil support base disposed adjacent the actuator body. The actuator further includes a constrained layer damper disposed upon the body lateral surface extending from the arm base to the coil support base for mitigation of resonant vibration of the actuator arm and the coil support.

Growing community of inventors

San Jose, CA, United States of America

Chen-Chi Lin