Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.

Intel Corporation

Seagate Technology International

Other

Seagate Technology Incorporated

Haesung Kwon

Hyung Jai Lee

Vinod Sharma

Dong Jun Lee

Seong-Woo Kang

Pyongwon Yim

Steven Saeed Nasiri

Yun-Sik Han

Kangseok Lee

Mitchell Novack

Michael Sullivan

James Higgins Smith

Jaesuk Lee

James Starr

Sangeun Baek

Yonkyu Byun

Wonshik Chee

Wonchoul Yang

A hard disk drive and a disk base are disclosed with the disk base including a first face configured to form a disk cavity for the spindle motor, disk(s) and a voice coil motor and a second face configured to couple with a controller Printed Circuit Board (PCB) including at least one integrated circuit. Both faces are include a hub for mounting the spindle motor and surrounded by an outer wall. The first face and/or the second face include at least one partial rib extending from the hub or the outer wall partway to the other. The partial ribs are configured to position the integrated circuit and stiffen the disk base and hard disk drive from mechanical shocks, such as dropping the unit including the hard disk drive. A handheld device is disclosed including at least one of the disclosed hard disk drives with improved reliability to mechanical shocks.

Partial rib extending from a hub

This application discloses a hard disk drive, a head stack assembly, and a head gimbal assembly, each including a micro-actuator hinge configured to position a slider over a rotating disk surface with greater stroke sensitivity while reducing bending perpendicular to the disk surface. The micro-actuator hinge includes at least one micro-actuator, a hinge plate and at least one hinge plate cover, with the micro-actuator including a first region and a second region, each coupled between the hinge plate and the hinge plate cover.

Balanced motor micro-actuator

A hard disk drive with a disk base including a disk wall with a first intake, a second intake off of the first intake, an outlet and an air filter configured to receive a first airflow from the first intake and suction from a second airflow from the second intake creating negative pressure at a trapping surface of the air filter away from the outlet. At least one disk rotates to create a rotating disk surface generating airflow configured to enter the first intake to create the first airflow. A disk damper includes an enclosing wall neighboring the air filter to create a flow chamber providing a third airflow through the outlet formed of the first air flow crossing the trapping surface and the second air flow. A disk cover mounts on the disk base to encapsulate the air chamber. The disk base and disk damper are disclosed.

Method and apparatus for a disk damper including an enclosing flow chamber wall for a hard disk drive

A hard disk drive is disclosed including at least one air filter mounted on a shroud wall of the base and at least two disk dampers where at least one disk damper covers a fraction of the maximal covering angle configured with the air filter to optimize both the air filter and disk dampening. Methods of manufacturing the hard disk drive are also disclosed.

Method and apparatus for dampening and filtering air flow effects in a hard disk drive

A region of flexure layer, including slider mounting face coupled to offset mounting face for at least one piezoelectric device. The offset mounting face for piezoelectric device provides asymmetry between first contact region and second contact region based upon notch and slot. This is cost effective, reliable support for piezoelectric devices used for micro-actuation in hard disk drives. The slider moves based upon asymmetry of the offset mounting face coupled to the piezoelectric device twisting the slider mounting face. The invention includes flexure containing the region of the flexure layer. The invention includes head gimbal assembly including flexure, actuator arm including head gimbal assembly, and actuator assembly including actuator arm, and hard disk drive including actuator assembly. The invention includes manufacturing the region, the flexure, the head gimbal assembly, the actuator arm, the actuator assembly and the hard disk drive, as well as these products of the manufacturing processes.

Method and apparatus coupling to a slider in a hard disk drive for microactuation

A hard disk drive that includes an optical pick-up coupled to a head of a hard disk assembly ('HDA'). The head is located adjacent to a disk. The optical pick-up can sense the surface of the disk by detecting light reflected from the surface. The optical pick-up is coupled to a particle circuit that can distinguish between an embedded particle and a floating particle from the reflected light.

Method and apparatus to detect sub-micron particles in a hard disk drive with optical pickup

A region of flexure layer, including slider mounting face coupled to offset mounting face for at least one piezoelectric device. The offset mounting face for piezoelectric device provides asymmetry between first contact region and second contact region. This is cost effective, reliable support for piezoelectric devices used for micro-actuation in hard disk drives. The slider moves based upon asymmetry of the offset mounting face coupled to the piezoelectric device twisting the slider mounting face. The invention includes flexure containing the region of the flexure layer. The invention includes head gimbal assembly including flexure, actuator arm including head gimbal assembly, and actuator assembly including actuator arm, and hard disk drive including actuator assembly. The invention includes manufacturing the region, the flexure, the head gimbal assembly, the actuator arm, the actuator assembly and the hard disk drive, as well as these products of the manufacturing processes.

Method and apparatus coupling at least one piezoelectric device to a slider in a hard disk drive for microactuation

A slider, flexure finger, head suspension assembly, head gimbal assembly, main flex circuit, actuator assembly, spindle motor, embedded circuit, and hard disk drive using and/or supporting method of estimating flying height of read-write head near rotating disk surface. Method senses leakage current between slider and spindle motor to create potential difference measurement, and converts potential difference measurement to create estimate of flying height. Method controlling flying height using method for estimating by adjusting vertical actuation signal to micro-actuator assembly. The invention includes methods of manufacturing and their products.

Method and apparatus for sensing leakage current to estimate and possibly adjust flying height of a read-write head in a hard disk drive

A slider cradle for lateral positioning slider near rotating disk surface in hard disk drive, consisting essentially of piezoelectric micro-actuator coupling to slider cradle blank, further including piezoelectric micro-actuator coupling to first slider mount arm near slider mount and near slider mount base. A head gimbal assembly including slider cradle coupling to slider, flexure finger, and flexure finger electrically coupling to piezoelectric contacts. An actuator arm coupling to at least one head gimbal assembly. An actuator assembly, comprising voice coil coupling to at least one actuator arm. A hard disk drive containing actuator assembly. The invention includes a method of making slider cradle blank and slider cradle. The products of this process. Making head gimbal assembly, actuator assembly and hard disk drive using the invention's components. The head gimbal assembly, the actuator assembly, and the hard disk drive are products of these processes.

Method and apparatus for a single piezoelectric micro-actuator in a head gimbal assembly of a hard disk drive

Head gimbal assembly (HGA) may include a piezo layer mechanically coupled with the slider or include a piezo element mechanically coupled by the flexure to the slider top near the read-write head. A bridge flex circuit is included, providing a piezo-control bundle to at least one piezo layer lead. A flex circuit assembly may further provide a piezo control bundle, shared with piezo control bundles for multiple read-write heads. HGA may include a micro-actuator to position read-write head near track on accessed, rotating disk surface. Flex circuit assembly may provide a source control bundle, shared with the micro-actuator control bundles for multiple read-write heads. When accessing, all micro-actuators perform same positioning action, insuring proper positioning of read-write head. This applies to both co-located and non co-located micro-actuators. Wire bundles may include one or two active signal wires. Voice coil actuators and hard disk drives, and their manufacture, are included.

Head gimbal assemblies for very low flying height heads with optional micro-actuators in a hard disk drive

The invention includes a D33 mode piezoelectric actuator region, including electrodes of differing length to produce a bending motion. The invention also includes a piezoelectric actuator containing a first piezoelectric actuator region coupled to a second piezoelectric actuator region, which may be separated by the ceramic material. Applying a first potential difference between electrodes generates a first bending of the piezoelectric actuator region. Applying the negative first potential difference generates the complement first bending for the piezoelectric actuator. The piezoelectric actuator region may be used to radially move a coupled transducer by the first bending. The piezoelectric actuator may be used to radially move a coupled transducer by the first bending and/or its complement. The invention includes the methods of making the piezoelectric actuator region and the piezoelectric actuator, and their products.

Method and apparatus for a D33 mode piezoelectric actuator with a bending motion

Method estimating flying height of read-write head in slider near rotating disk surface. Sensing leakage current between slider and spindle motor to create potential difference measurement. Converting potential difference measurement to create estimate of flying height. Method controlling flying height using method for estimating by adjusting vertical actuation signal to micro-actuator assembly. Embodiments implement these methods. Embedded circuit and hard disk drive, each including the apparatus. The invention includes methods of manufacturing and their products.

Method and apparatus for estimating and controlling the flying height of a read-write head in a hard disk drive

A micro-actuator assembly, which includes a first micro-actuator. The first micro-actuator includes: Two pivot spring pairs coupling to first stator and second stator. Two flexure spring pairs and pitch spring pair coupling to central movable section, which includes signal pair paths coupling to read-write head of a slider. The central movable section positions read-write head and conducts read-write head signaling. First micro-actuator electrical stimulus is through some of its springs. Micro-actuator assembly may include second micro-actuator with third stator and fourth stator interacting with central movable section. The second micro-actuator may also provide motion sensing, possibly indicating collision with the rotating disk surface being accessed. The invention includes head gimbal assemblies, actuator arms, actuator assemblies, voice coil assemblies and hard disk drives containing various embodiments of these micro-actuator assemblies.

Method and apparatus for a MEMS micro-actuator assembly in a hard disk drive

Read-write head flying height controlled through micro-actuator assembly. Flying height controlled using DC line and ground line. Lateral position controlled using them and AC line. Micro-actuator assembly operates through three terminals coupled with these lines. Head gimbal assembly contains micro-actuator assembly mechanically coupling to slider with read-write head. Actuator arm includes at least one head gimbal assembly. Actuator arm assembly includes at least one actuator arm. Voice coil actuator includes actuator assembly. Hard disk drive containing voice coil actuator. Electrical interface circuit includes ground port, DC port, and AC port, for micro-actuator assembly. Servo controller drives micro-actuator assembly to control flying height and lateral position, preferably including electrical interface circuit. Manufacturing head gimbal assembly, actuator arm, actuator assembly, voice coil actuator, and hard disk drive, and products of these manufacturing processes.

Method and apparatus of micro-actuator control of the flying height of a read/write head in a hard disk drive

The present invention includes a micro-actuator assembly. The micro-actuator assembly includes a planar micro-actuator and a vertical micro-actuator. The planar micro-actuator provides at least one planar micro-actuator arm for coupling to a slider. The vertical micro-actuator couples with the planar micro-actuator arm. The planar micro-actuator arm supports moving the slider in a planar direction. The vertical micro-actuator supports moving the slider, through the micro-actuator arm, in a vertical direction. The planar micro-actuator may include two planar micro-actuator arms. It is preferred that at least one of the micro-actuators include a piezoelectric device. The vertical micro-actuator preferably includes a bulk piezoelectric device for cost reasons. The vertical micro-actuator may include a thermoelectric device supporting vertical slider movement. The invention includes manufacturing head gimbal assemblies, actuator arms, voice coil actuator assemblies, and hard disk drives. The hard disk drives, actuator assemblies, actuator arms, and head gimbal assemblies, are products of these processes.

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San Jose, CA, United States of America

Haesung Kwon