Hitachi Global Storage Technologies Netherlands B.v.

International Business Machines Corporation

Hgst Netherlands, B.v.

Western Digital Technologies, Inc.

Hiroki Kitahori

Shinichi Kimura

Hiroshi Matsuda

Satoshi Matsumura

Takao Suzuki

Kenji Kuroki

Nobuyuki Okunaga

Akira Morita

Hirofumi Nozaki

David W Albrecht

Mutsuro Ohta

Kiyoshi Satoh

Kohji Takahashi

Takanori Kawakami

Naoyuki Kagami

Shingo Tsuda

Kyo Akagi

Takeshi Saito

Kenji Tomida

Keishi Takahashi

Gregory Michael Frees

Yuzo Nakagawa

Masakazu Sasaki

Takeji Sumiya

Yasuhiro Kotani

Yoshitaka Kakizaki

Kazushi Tsuwako

Hitoshi Tamura

Yasuo Kojima

Masataka Hashizume

Satoshi Noguchi

Shin Nagahiro

Yoshimi Masuda

Kazuhiko Takada

Kenichi Kuramoto

Kazutaka Okasaka

Sunao Nemoto

Michio Ueha

Toshiaki Komatsuzaki

Takayuki Honda

Jianqian Xu

Takayuki Fujiwara

A load/unload ramp assembly for a hard disk drive includes a support plate having at least one interlock slot and a plurality of ramp units interconnected with the support plate. At least one of the ramp units includes an interlock structure that protrudes into a corresponding interlock slot of the support plate, and is configured to move within the interlock slot in response to shrinkage of the ramp unit upon cooling associated with manufacturing of the ramp assembly. The ends of the interlock slot may be configured to manage the shrinkage and/or to maintain design dimensions.

Load/unload ramp mechanism for reduced cracking

Approaches to reducing the natural frequency of a voice coil motor (VCM) in a hard disk drive include configuring one or both of the yokes with at least one mating structure that comprises a step feature that partitions the mating structure into a contact surface and a recessed surface, where the contact surface is toward the outer area of the mating structure and contacts a corresponding mating structure of the other yoke and the recessed surface is toward the inner area of the mating structure and does not contact with the corresponding mating structure of the other yoke. Consequently, the distance between the fixed points is increased, which reduces the natural frequency and thus the resonance of the VCM assembly.

Managing resonance frequency of hard disk drive voice coil motor

A disk-enclosure cover for a low-profile, hard-disk drive (HDD). The disk-enclosure cover includes a substantially flat, plate-like portion that includes a periphery, and a peripheral flange that is disposed at the periphery. The peripheral flange includes a recessed portion that is configured to be recessed from a SATA connector in proximity to the SATA connector. In addition, the recessed portion is configured to allow a top portion of the SATA connector to be disposed in close proximity to the peripheral flange when the SATA connector is seated on a receiving connector of the low-profile HDD.

Low profile hard-disk drive enclosure cover which includes a flange recess for accommodating a SATA connector

A disk drive. The disk drive includes: a head for accessing a data recording area of a disk; an actuator for pivoting to move the head; a voice coil motor; and, a latch configured to lock the actuator from pivoting toward the data recording area in response to an external force. The voice-coil motor includes a voice coil, a magnet, and a yoke. The latch is positioned at a closed position when the actuator is positioned at a stand-by position, and is configured to pivot by application of a magnetic bias force with pivoting of the actuator from the stand-by position into proximity with the data recording area such that the latch is configured to stop at an open position. The yoke includes a protrusion which protrudes toward the magnetic body at the open position.

Disk drive including a latch configured to lock an actuator in response to an external force

Embodiments of the present invention securely latch an actuator rotated by an external impact. In an embodiment of the present invention, a latch and an actuator have a structure in which the latch can latch the actuator at two different swing angles. The swing angle of the latch is an angle in rotation centered on a rotational shaft (rotation angle). The latch may be engaged with the actuator at a shallow angle, or the latch may be engaged with the actuator at a deeper angle. Since the latch is able to latch the actuator at different swing angles, the actuator can be securely latched.

Disk drive device and magnetic disk drive

Embodiments of the invention provide an efficient layout of circuit elements on a circuit board. A hard disk drive (HDD) according to one embodiment of the present invention is provided with a circuit board. The circuit board has an IC of HDC, MPU, and R/W channel, an IC of MDU, an SPM aperture, and a carriage bearing aperture. The IC is provided on the circuit board on the side where the center of a carriage bearing protrusion is positioned with respect to a central line AB parallel to the short sides of the surface of the housing and on the side opposite to the side where the center of the carriage bearing protrusion is positioned with respect to a central line CD parallel to the long sides of the surface of the housing. The IC of MDU is provided on the circuit board on the side where the center of the carriage bearing protrusion is positioned with respect to the central line CD and at a position between the center of an SPM protrusion and the center of the carriage bearing protrusion in the longitudinal direction of the surface of the housing.

Magnetic disk drive having circuit board apertures fitted with protrusions to achieve efficient layout of circuit elements

Embodiments of the present invention relate to a method for manufacturing a magnetic disk unit, the method including a step of writing servo data into the magnetic disk while introducing a low-density gas having a lower density than air into the enclosure. In one embodiment, the magnetic disk unit is comprised of a magnetic disk, a magnetic head, and a voice coil motor which are accommodated in the hermetically sealed enclosure. The enclosure has a gas inlet and a gas outlet, which are provided respectively with filters attached thereto.

Magnetic disk unit and manufacturing method thereof

A positioning structure for a flexible cable having a movable portion is provided. In one embodiment, an FPC cable mounted to a base is received within a slit of a fixing plate. The FPC cable is disposed perpendicularly to a bottom surface of a base. On the fixing plate is provided a positioning reference which is spaced a predetermined distance from the bottom surface of the base. When the FPC cable is received into the slit, a part thereof is pushed against the bottom surface of the base to create an elastic force. An upper portion of a reinforcing plate affixed to the FPC cable for reinforcement comes into abutment against the positioning reference to establish a vertical position of the FPC cable.

Flexible cable positioning structure and magnetic disk drive

Embodiments of the present invention provide a structure of a pivot receiving surface which may excellently adjust the attitude of a head supporting mechanism in a magnetic disk drive. In one embodiment, three projections are formed at a base for supporting a pivot assembly. The first projection is formed on a first line which bisects an angle defined between a second line and a third line determining a range, in which a head/slider flies above a magnetic disk. In contrast, the other two projections are formed at positions apart from the first projection at an angle of 120&#xb0;, respectively. The attitude of the pivot assembly is adjusted by adjusting the heights of the projections, and thus, a head supporting mechanism is corrected in a predetermined attitude within the range in which the head/slider flies above the magnetic disk.

Boss location to adjust head attitude

Embodiments of the invention provide an FPC connecting structure superior in positioning in a magnetic disk drive. According to one embodiment, in an FPC-connector connecting structure in a magnetic disk drive, edge portions rise from the bottom of a base and there are formed inner surfaces of the edge portions. An FPC connected to a spindle motor and drawn out from an FPC draw-out port has an FPC terminal portion formed at an extreme end thereof. The FPC terminal portion comes into contact with the inner surfaces and is positioned thereby. A guide pin is also used for the positioning. Positioning of the FPC terminal portion may be done easily and positively by utilizing a corner of the base.

FPC-connector connecting structure and magnetic disk

A rotating disk storage device has a stopper mechanism and a latch mechanism for diminishing a shock imposed on an actuator head suspension assembly (AHSA) and permits positive retraction of the AHSA upon occurrence of an external shock or runaway. In one embodiment, the latch mechanism comprises an AHSA which is supported pivotably, a stopper which restricts a pivotal movement in a pivot direction of the AHSA, an inertia member adapted to move pivotally in a corresponding pivot direction when the AHSA moves pivotally in the pivot direction while causing the stopper to be deformed elastically, and a latch member which has an engaging portion and which, upon receipt of the torque from the inertia member, moves pivotally in a direction opposite from the corresponding pivot direction, and causes the engaging portion to move to a latching position. Shock energy of the AHSA is attenuated by both stopper and inertia member.

Rotating disk storage device and latch method thereof

An assembly structure low in height and suitable for downsizing and for high hermeticity sealing in a micro hard disk drive is provided. Burrings projecting toward a top cover and having an internal thread cut are formed on a base plate where the top cover is screw-fastened to the base plate, the base plate accommodating a functional unit such as a disk and a head. Burrings are formed extendedly upward on flat portions of recesses at certain corners of the top cover. These burrings have a diameter larger than that of the burrings of the base plate. The burrings of the base plate are fitted into the burrings to be screw-fastened with top cover fastening screws. After attaching the top cover to the base plate, a covering seal is applied to cover the respective top faces of the top cover, base plate, and the top cover screws.

Hermetically sealed disk drive with low height

Embodiments of the present invention provide a rotating disk storage device adopting a thin yoke structure. In one embodiment, the yoke structure of a voice coil motor includes a base of a casing formed from a ferromagnetic material; an auxiliary yoke disposed so as to be magnetically coupled to the base; a magnet disposed so as to be magnetically coupled to a front surface of the auxiliary yoke; and a main yoke provided with yoke legs magnetically coupled to the auxiliary yoke and an opposing surface that confronts a front surface of the magnet. In addition, a yoke gap is defined between the opposing surface and the front surface of the magnet. The base and the auxiliary yoke form a magnetic path, which allows a dedicated yoke on a lower portion to be eliminated.

Rotating disk storage device

Embodiments of the present invention provide a rotating disk storage device having a mechanism to reliably retract an actuator into a retraction area in the event that the power supply is suddenly interrupted. A bias chip is embedded in a coil support that supports the voice coil. When a head stays in an access area, the bias chip is away from an end of the voice coil magnet. Therefore, no influence of the magnetic leakage flux is exerted on the bias chip. When the head is in a retraction area, the bias chip is attracted under the influence of the magnetic leakage flux of the voice coil magnet, which thereby produces bias torque causing an actuator to pivotally move in a retraction direction. Accordingly, the bias torque can be utilized as energy for retracting the actuator immediately after power shutdown.

Rotating disk storage device with a retracting actuator head suspension assembly

Embodiments of the invention provide a rotating disk storage device including a connection structure between an FPC and a printed board and providing allowance for dimensional tolerances. In one embodiment, the rotating disk storage device includes a disk enclosure, an FPC supporting portion, and a flexible printed circuit board assembly provided with an FPC terminal area that extends along a front surface of the FPC supporting portion and further beyond an end portion of the FPC supporting portion. When the printed board is mounted on the disk enclosure, a connector terminal contacts and gives pressure to an FPC terminal formed in the FPC terminal area. This causes the FPC terminal area to flex in the direction of an arrow.

Rotating disk storage device having connection structure between FPC and printed board

Growing community of inventors

Kanagawa, Japan

Hiroki Kitahori