Seagate Technology Incorporated

Seagate Technologies, Inc.

Frank William Bernett

Neal Frank Gunderson

David Lapp

Gary Frank Kelsic

Louis John Fioravanti

Kurt M Anderson

Tave Joseph Fruge

Jason A Sorrell

George Inslee Brent

Jonathan Williams Haines

Walter Wong

Andrew Robert Motzko

John Francis Fletcher

Timothy Edward Langlais

Lou Supino

Dave Paul McReynolds

Christopher Anthony Massarotti

Steven L Weber

Chris Thomas Settje

Richard W Deichert

Jonathan William Haines

Richard Kendle Thompson

Bruce Joseph Oxley

Ju-Il Lee

Chiyun Xia

Louis Supino

Loutfi Elias Charara

Tom Michael Durrum

As may be implemented in accordance with one or more embodiments, an electrical connector such as a low-temperature co-fired ceramic (LTCC) connector is sealed to an opening in a base deck having bottom and/or side walls that define a cavity. A mechanical component is coupled to balance forces applied to opposing surfaces of the electrical connector, which can mitigate the application of high forces to connector pins and/or to the connector itself. Further, this balancing may be implemented to maintain a controlled bias force against the connector. The electrical connector may, for example, be hermetically sealed to the opening by a seal such as a gasket, epoxy or other material, which may be included in the electrical connector.

Electrical connector with force balancing

Certain exemplary aspects of the present disclosure are directed towards an apparatus in which a base deck and a base deck cover interface with one another to provide a permeability path. The base deck includes an outer region, and the base deck cover includes a lip that interfaces with the outer region of the base deck to provide the permeability path. The permeability is further defined by at least three interleaved sidewalls of the base deck and base deck cover that define two segments of the permeability path. The permeability path is filled with a polymer material that creates a seal between the base deck and base deck cover.

Apparatus with polymer permeability path

In certain embodiments, an apparatus includes a basedeck for a hard disc drive. The basedeck includes an interior surface for supporting disc drive components and an exterior surface. The basedeck includes a cavity in either the exterior surface or interior surface. The cavity includes at least two pads for supporting an electrical connector.

Methods and devices for mitigating gas leakage through an adhesive

In certain embodiments, a method includes sensing a mode of a motor-base assembly's response to vibration. Based on the sensed response, the method includes adjusting a head-suspension assembly to compensate for off-track motion caused by the vibration. In certain embodiments, an apparatus includes a sensor positioned on a basedeck such that the sensor senses a mode of the motor-base assembly's response to linear vibration.

Methods and devices for compensating for off-track motion

In accordance with certain embodiments, a method is provided for sensing linear vibration and rotational vibration. The method includes generating a combined linear vibration and rotational vibration signal. The combined linear vibration and rotational vibration signal may then be processed with an adaptive filter.

Rotational and linear vibration sensing

In a servo control loop, the rate of change of filter coefficients used by an adaptive filter to counteract external disturbances to head position is regulated in response to a characteristic of an acceleration signal. Regulating the rate of change of the filter coefficients may improve the stability of the servo control loop.

Regulating tuning rate of adaptive filter coefficients for feed-forward disturbance rejection in a servo control loop

In accordance with various embodiments, a data storage device comprises a sealed housing which encloses a data storage medium. The sealed housing comprises a substantially planar first housing plate with respective length, width and thickness dimensions and a circumferentially extending first peripheral edge, a substantially planar second housing plate with a circumferentially extending second peripheral edge, and a circumferentially extending first sealing member contactingly disposed between the respective first and second peripheral edges. A substantially planar third housing plate extends adjacent the first planar housing plate with respective length and width dimensions substantially corresponding to the length and width dimensions of the first housing plate, and a circumferentially extending third peripheral edge. A circumferentially extending second seal member is contactingly disposed between the second and third peripheral edges to form a hermetic seal for the low density gas.

Two-stage sealing of a data storage assembly housing to retain a low density atmosphere

A method for attaching a printed circuit card assembly to an actuator assembly in a disc drive comprises forming one or more pins integrally with the actuator assembly, inserting each pin through a corresponding pin opening in the printed circuit card assembly, and attaching the pins to the printed circuit card assembly. The pins may be attached to the printed circuit card assembly by a soldering process, or alternatively, pressure may be applied to a top surface of the pins to cause them to deform over the printed circuit card assembly, thereby securing the printed circuit card assembly to the actuator assembly. A disc drive in accordance with a preferred embodiment of this invention has an actuator assembly with one or more integral pins and a printed circuit card assembly attached to the integral pins.

Disc drive integral actuator pins

A disc drive includes a base plate and a structural cover removably attached to the base plate to form an internal environment within the disc drive that is filled with a low density gas such as helium. A sealing cover is permanently attached to the base plate and the structural cover to form a hermetic seal for the low density gas. A first seal secured between the base plate and the removable structural cover permits short term operation of the disc drive with minimal leakage of the low density gas so that the drive can be tested prior to permanent attachment of the sealing cover.

An interface to make interconnections between the interior and exterior of a sealed enclosure may include a flat connector (FC). The FC may comprise at least one layer of a substantially planar substrate. Each substrate layer may include metallization for conducting signals between contacts on an interior-facing surface and contacts on an exterior-facing surface. In an enclosure with an aperture for passing electrical conductors, the FC may be configured to seal the aperture to inhibit the escape of a low density gas, such as helium, for a long period of time. In one embodiment, the FC may include metallization configured to minimize helium leakage. As such, the FC may conduct electrical signals into and out of the sealed enclosure. Such signals may include, for example, power, control, and data signals for operating devices housed within the enclosure.

Method of making an electrical connection

A disc drive has a rotatable disc carried by a spindle motor and an actuator assembly with a read/write head. A base deck supports the spindle motor and the actuator assembly and defines a connector opening for transmitting electrical signals from the read/write head through the base deck to a printed circuit board attached to an exterior surface of the base deck. A bulkhead connector is adhesively affixed to the base deck to cover the connector opening. The bulkhead connector comprises a backing plate and a flex circuit bonded to the backing plate. The flex circuit extends across a top surface of the backing plate, wraps around one edge of the backing plate, and extends across a bottom surface of the backing plate.

Bulkhead connector for low leak rate disc drives

By dynamically adjusting the maximum voice coil motor driving current produced by an amplifier in a disc drive, amplifier saturation may be reduced, while still maintaining optimal current to quickly drive the voice coil motor during seek operations. Reducing disc drive saturation, and thus non-linearities in the driving current, increases notch filter performance. As the notch filter is used in the disc drive to remove frequencies from the driving current that tend to cause or excite the mechanical oscillations in the disc drive, increased notch filter performance reduces mechanical oscillations and improves disc drive noise characteristics.

Adaptive seek control for maximum performance with minimal filter corruption

A method for writing servo information to a data storage medium adapted for use in a data storage device wherein the medium is operably moved in ambient air at a nominal speed in data reading and writing relationship with a data transfer member. In one embodiment the method for writing comprises placing the medium adjacent a data transfer member in an enclosure containing a gaseous environment as a selected state; moving the medium to impart velocity to the gaseous environment which, in turn, impacts the data transfer member with forces flying the writing member at a first fly height from the medium; and subsequently introducing a gas having a density less than the gaseous environment into the enclosure, thereby responsively reducing the fly height of the writing member to a selected height less than the first fly height.

Data storage assembly with robust servo writing methodology

A disc drive gas supply system for supplying a gas other than air to an enclosed environment containing a disc includes a source of gas other than air, which can be connected to the enclosed environment. A pressure sensor produces a pressure signal, such as an electrical, pneumatic, or mechanical signal, that is representative of the pressure within the enclosed environment. A control module receives the pressure signal and connects the source of gas other than air to the enclosed environment if the pressure within the enclosed environment is within a predetermined pressure range. When the pressure within the enclosed environment is above the predetermined pressure range, the control module disconnects the source of gas other than air from the enclosed environment. A disc drive shipping and storage package includes a disc drive defining an internal enclosed environment containing a gas other than air. The package also includes a sealed storage container containing the disc drive and defining an external enclosed environment that also contains the gas other than air.

Disc drive gas supply system

A shock protection assembly for a disc drive includes a protective cover mounted as the lowest portion of the disc drive. The disc drive includes a base plate and two mounting rails, wherein a printed circuit board assembly is attached to the base plate between the two mounting rails. The protective cover is mounted to the base plate to cover a majority of the printed circuit board assembly while extending a predetermined distance below the mounting rails to shield the mounting rails and the base plate from contact. The shock protection assembly may further include a shock damper positioned between the protective cover and the printed circuit board assembly.

Growing community of inventors

Longmont, CO, United States of America

Frank William Bernett