Seagate Technology Incorporated

Conner Peripherals, Inc.

Seagate Technologies, Inc.

James Hart Smith

Walter Wong

ChoonKiat Lim

YiRen Hong

Paul Allison Beatty

Robert A Bruce

Michael D Ries

Nigel Frank Misso

William W French

PohLye Lim

Srinivas Tadepalli

Marc Jacques Lalouette

Dave Paul McReynolds

Todd Warren Kube

Dana P Eddings

William F Repphun

A humidity control method and apparatus that can be utilized to provide humidity control within an enclosed assembly such as a disc drive. The apparatus includes a container that is at least partially formed of a material through which water vapor can freely move. The apparatus also includes a humidity-controlling mixture that comprises at least one salt and a superabsorbent polymer. The humidity-controlling mixture is enclosed within the container.

Humidity control method and apparatus for use in an enclosed assembly

A desiccant comprises a mixture of a polymeric salt and a nonpolymeric salt.

Desiccant

A pressure control system for a sealed enclosure may include opposing one-way valves to limit the differential pressure between the atmospheres internal and external to the sealed enclosure. The pressure control system may allow the internal atmosphere to vent out of a first one-way valve if the internal pressure exceeds the external pressure by a first predetermined pressure. The pressure control system may allow the external atmosphere to be drawn in through a second one-way valve if the external pressure exceeds the internal pressure by a second predetermined pressure. By allowing the exchange of gasses only when the differential pressure falls outside of a predetermined range, overall contamination may be reduced. By reducing the ingress of contaminants, such as dust, water, smog, and outgassed substances, performance may be improved and service life of components housed within the sealed enclosure may be extended.

Pressure control system for sealed enclosures

The disc drive housing encloses a spindle motor carrying a disc having a data surface. An actuator assembly includes an actuator arm carrying a head. The housing includes a first surface portion adjacent to the data surface of the disc. The housing also includes a plurality of surface portions that define a recess, which allows the actuator arm to move over the data surface of the disc. The plurality of surface portions include a sloped surface portion sloping away from the data surface and preventing wind generated by the disc rotating about an axis from separating from the sloped surface portion. Alternatively, a disc drive includes a housing that defines a recess. The housing encloses a disc mounted on a spindle motor that rotates the disc about an axis and thereby generates wind within the housing. An upstream surface portion and a downstream surface portion of the housing both face toward a data surface of the disc. A discontinuity, such as a step, between the upstream surface portion and the downstream surface portion causes a wind recirculation region within the recess. The disc drive also includes an actuator arm that carries a head, which the recess allows to move over the data surface of the disc. An actuator limiting device prevents the actuator arm from entering the wind recirculation region.

Disc drive turbulent wind management

Method and apparatus for protecting a data storage device from fluid-borne contaminants. The device includes a housing in which a rotatable disc is supported, the disc having a data recording surface and an outermost perimeter. A filter assembly includes a first filter adjacent to the data recording surface and a second filter disposed beyond the outermost perimeter of the disc. During disc rotation, fluidic currents are generated and impinge a leading edge guide surface of the first filter. A first portion of the currents passes into a gap between the first filter and the data recording surface. A second portion of the currents passes along the leading edge guide surface to the second filter. The first filter is preferably characterized as a chemical adsorbent filter which adsorbs vapor phase (gaseous) contaminants, and the second filter is preferably characterized as a pass-through recirculation filter which captures particulate contaminants.

Fluid-borne contaminant protection using a filter assembly with a leading edge guide surface

A disc drive includes a housing enclosing a spindle motor that is able to spin a disc. A filter within the housing is positioned so that a filter stream of moving gas created by a spinning motion of the disc flows through the filter. Additionally, a flow divider is secured to a portion of the housing and positioned within the filter stream upstream of the filter, splitting the filter stream into a first branch and a second branch. Both branches flow through the filter.

Flow divider upstream of disc drive recirculation filter

A fluid guide for recirculating fluid through a filter in a data storage device, the data storage device having a disc rotatably supported on a base and operatively imparting a velocity to the fluid surrounding the disc resulting in a generally outwardly spiraling fluid flow. The fluid guide comprises a shroud supportable by the base substantially transversely to the disc comprising a distal surface closely matingly engageable with the disc edge, a vane extending from the shroud substantially parallel to the disc and opposing the base, the vane comprising a leading edge disposed transverse to the disc and within the fluid flow, guiding the fluid toward a proximal end of the shroud beyond the disc edge; and a retaining feature adjacent the shroud proximal end adapted for retaining the filter. Two or more fluid guides are stackable and fixable to the base to interlace the vanes between adjacent discs in a multi-disc stack. Methods of populating and depopulating the data storage device are possible by alternatively placing the discs and the guides.

Fluid guide for a data storage device

Apparatus and method for adjusting an actuator mechanical response characteristic in a data handling system, such as a disc drive. An actuator rotates about a pivot system to move a read/write head adjacent a recording surface, the pivot system comprising a stationary shaft and a bearing asesmbly comprising a stationary inner race coupled to the shaft and a rotatable outer race coupled to the actuator. A fastener is provided to engage the shaft and apply an initial amount of axially directed force on the inner race. A broad spectrum excitation is applied to the actuator and a mechanical response characteristic of the actuator is measured. The fastener is repetitively adjusted to increase the amount of axially directed force until the measured mechanical response characteristic of the actuator reaches a desired level.

Controlling mechanical response characteristics of a disc drive actuator by adjusting a fastener engaging the actuator shaft to vary axial force on the bearing assembly

Information storage systems having a liquid bearing of at least 2 molecular layers on the surface of a rigid storage medium are provided. The liquid bearing lubricant of the subject invention has a low viscosity, high vapor pressure organic liquid. The liquid bearing is maintained on the surface of the rigid storage medium by vapor phase transfer, where the gaseous environment of the rigid storage medium is maintained in a saturated state with respect to the low viscosity, high vapor pressure organic liquid of the liquid bearing. Also provided are novel read/write heads for use in the subject information storage systems.

Information storage systems comprising a liquid bearing maintained by

In liquid disk drives, liquid bearing materials based on hydrocarbon liquids, halogenated liquids and mixtures thereof are used at the head-disk interface. Additives such as antioxidants and boundary layer lubricants may be incorporated to enhance oxidative stability and lubricity. The liquid bearing materials have relatively low viscosities and non-Newtonian flow characteristics so as to reduce drag at the read/write head compared with Newtonian liquid bearing materials.

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Woodside, CA, United States of America

James Hart Smith