Nhk Spring Co., Ltd.

Hideki Fuchino

Toshiki Ando

Tsutomu Fukuda

Emi Sugimoto

Hiroshi Ono

Hajime Arai

Masaru Inoue

Kenichi Takikawa

Yasuji Takagi

Akira Nojima

Osamu Iriuchijima

Yoichi Ikeji

Jun Soga

Osamu Okawara

Hidenori Inoue

Masaki Yokota

Hiroaki Kamijo

Noriyuki Saitoh

Sachie Yamada

A terminal extending from a wiring member to face an electrode of a piezoelectric element and including a proximal end part and a distal end part with respect to the wiring member, the distal end part being connected to the electrode of the piezoelectric element through a conductive adhesive, comprising an insulating layer that faces the electrode of the piezoelectric element; a wiring layer laid on the insulating layer and connected to the electrode at the distal end part; and at least one liquid stopping recess provided on a surface facing the electrode at the proximal end part, the liquid stopping recess spanning between both edges of the insulating layer in an direction intersecting an extending direction of the proximal end part.

Terminal capable of stopping flow of oozed conductive adhesive, flexure having the terminal, and head suspension having the flexure

A head suspensionhas a piezoelectric elementthat deforms in response to a voltage applied thereto, a base platehaving an attaching part to which the piezoelectric elementis attached, and a load beamhaving a flexure. A front end of the load beammoves in a sway direction according to the deformation of the piezoelectric element. The head suspensionincludes adhesives that attach the piezoelectric elementto the attaching part. The adhesives are applied to and hardened at the attaching part one by one. At least one of the adhesives that is first applied to and hardened at the attaching part is electrically insulative. The head suspensionproperly maintains electric insulation between the piezoelectric elementand the attaching part, sufficiently demonstrates original functions, and secures a rigidity balance and proper vibration characteristic.

Head suspension with piezoelectric element support having electrically insulative adhesive layer

Head suspension and method of manufacturing head suspension

A method of cutting a laminated materialA made of at least first and second plates that are laid one on another and fixed together includes holding the laminated materialA between a padand a clamp base, so that an edgeof the first plateis positioned between an edgeof the padand an edgeof the clamp base; and cutting a protrusion of the second plateprotruding from the edgeof the first plateby moving a punchalong the padin a direction from the second platetoward the first plateand by using the first plateas a die to cut the protrusion of the second plate. The method is capable of precisely cutting the protrusion of the second plateprotruding from the edgeof the first platethrough a reduced number of processes.

Laminated material cutting method, laminated material, head suspension manufacturing method, and head suspension

A flexure with conductors is provided with a flexure tail portion. The flexure tail portion includes a metal base, an electrically insulating layer, and a conductive member. The metal base is formed with a plurality of apertures. A damper is attached to the flexure tail portion. The damper includes a viscoelastic member and a metallic constrained plate. The viscoelastic member has first and second surfaces. The first surface of the viscoelastic member is secured to the flexure tail portion. The constrained plate is secured to the second surface of the viscoelastic member. The constrained plate extends longitudinally relative to the metal base along the conductive member. The conductive member and the constrained plate face each other with the viscoelastic member therebetween.

Flexure to be secured to a load beam of a disk drive suspension

A head suspension has a base, a piezoelectric element, a load beam, and a wiring member to supply electric power to the piezoelectric element so that the piezoelectric element deforms to move the load beam relative to the base. The wiring member has a conductive base layer, an insulating layer, and a wiring layer layered in this order. The wiring layer has a wiring electrode. The piezoelectric element has an element electrode. A through hole is formed through the conductive base layer and insulating layer, to expose the wiring electrode to the element electrode. A projection is formed on at least one of the wiring electrode and element electrode, to face the other electrode through the through hole. The projection brings the electrodes into contact with each other and a conductive adhesive joins the electrodes and together.

Head suspension and method of manufacturing the head suspension with particular electrical connection arrangement between a piezoelectric element and a wiring member

A microactuator element as an example of an electrical component is disposed on a metallic, electrically conductive plate member. A conductive resin member is disposed on a current-carrying part of the conductive plate member and a conduction part of the microactuator element. A thin porous plating layer of thickness 100 nm or less includes a large number of gold particles is formed in a region of a surface of the conductive plate member which covers the current-carrying part. The conductive resin member is secured to the conductive plate member through the thin porous gold plating layer and electrically connected to the conductive plate member.

Electronic apparatus and disk drive suspension

A head suspensionincludes a load beamhaving a base plate, a hinge partresiliently supported by the base plate, and a rigid partjoined with the hinge part, a reinforcing platejoined with the rigid part at a portion proximal to the hinge part, and a bendon the load beam formed by bending the load beam toward the reinforcing plate along an edgeof the reinforcing plate. Only by accurately joining the reinforcing plate with the load beam in a sway direction (a widthwise direction of the head suspension), the load beam is easily and properly bent without torsion to form the bendalong the edge of the reinforcing plate that defines a bending strength boundary.

A head suspension has a base plate including a flange. The flange has a first face attached to the carriage arm and a second face attached to an auxiliary member. A first-face contact is circumferentially formed along an outer circumferential edge of the first face of the flange, so that the first-face contact among parts of the base plate except the boss is most proximal to the carriage arm. A second-face contact is circumferentially formed along an outer circumferential edge of the second face of the flange, so that the second-face contact among parts of the base plate including the boss is most proximal to the auxiliary member. This configuration allows the auxiliary member to be correctly aligned with and attached to the second face of the flange.

Head suspension with base plate having flange aligned with and attached to auxiliary member

An electrical connecting structure for a piezoelectric element enables wiring to the piezoelectric element to be carried out without deteriorating the productivity and reliability of the piezoelectric element. The electrical connecting structure is formed by facing a common electrode of the piezoelectric element to a terminal that supplies power to the common electrode and by injecting a conductive adhesive into a through hole, which is formed substantially at the center of the piezoelectric element, from an opening of the through hole that is on the opposite side of the common electrode, thereby securing electrical connection between the terminal and the common electrode of the piezoelectric element.

Electrical connection between piezoelectric actuator and head suspension

A processing device is provided with a circuit connected to a first conductive portion and a second conductive portion. An AC voltage source produces an AC waveform voltage obtained by adding a bias voltage to an AC voltage for capacitance measurement. The AC waveform voltage is applied between the first conductive portion and the second conductive portion through the measurement probes. The moment the AC waveform voltage is applied to the circuit with a switch closed, an inrush current flows through the circuit based on a potential difference of the bias voltage. This inrush current causes dielectric breakdown in the conductive resin, thereby securing the continuity of the conductive resin. With the continuity of the conductive resin secured, a capacitance of the piezoelectric body is measured by the AC waveform voltage, and it is determined whether or not the piezoelectric body is normal.

Processing device for piezoelectric actuator and processing method for piezoelectric actuator

A wiring connecting structure for a piezoelectric actuator includes a terminal-, a through holeformed through the terminal-, a first liquid stopper-arranged around the through holein a gap between the terminal-and a common electrodeof a piezoelectric elementof the piezoelectric actuator, and a liquid traparranged adjacent to the first liquid stopper-. The terminal-faces the common electrodewith an electric insulating layerbeing on the piezoelectric elementside and the first liquid stopper-being in the gap between the common electrodeand the terminal-. A liquid conductive adhesiveis filled in the through hole. If there is an excess of the liquid adhesive, the excess is guided into a trapping spaceof the liquid trap, to prevent the excess from oozing out.

Wiring connecting structure for piezoelectric actuator, piezoelectric actuator, and head suspension

A head suspension has a load beam and a piezoelectric actuator. The piezoelectric actuator has an actuator base connected to a base part of the load beam and a piezoelectric element attached to an opening formed in the actuator base. The piezoelectric actuator displaces a front end of the load beam in a sway direction according to deformation of the piezoelectric element that occurs in response to a voltage applied thereto. The head suspension includes a nonconductive adhesive filled between the piezoelectric element and the opening, to fix the piezoelectric element to the opening and a trap formed on the actuator base outside the opening, to hold the nonconductive adhesive oozing out of the opening and prevent the oozed adhesive from spreading. The trap prevents the oozed adhesive from contaminating the periphery of the opening.

Head suspension

A head suspension for a disk drive includes a plate that is easily and correctly be attached to a carriage of the disk drive and improves the attaching accuracy and strength of the head suspension to the carriage. The head suspension includes the plate and a load beam. The plate has a boss that is formed separately from the plate. The boss has a base fixed to the plate and a protrusion fitted into a hole of a carriage arm of the carriage. The plate has a through hole. The base of the boss is fitted into the through hole and is fixed to the plate. Under this state, the protrusion of the boss protrudes from a first face of the plate, and the base of the boss protrudes from a second face of the plate. An end face of the base of the boss serves as a contact face for jig.

Growing community of inventors

Aikoh-gun, Japan

Hideki Fuchino