Western Digital Technologies, Inc.

Seagate Technology Incorporated

Sae Magnetics (h.k.) Limited

Maxtor Corporation

General Electric Capital Corporation

John Edward Scura

Yanning Liu

Wing Chun Shum

John Beley

Francisco Obregon

Erhard Theodor Schreck

Tzong-Shii Pan

Robert P Ryan

Lin Guo

Richard G Krum

Wei Guo

James A Dunckley

Albert J Guerini

Frank Ivan Morris

Chen-Chi Lin

Aaron D Little

David E Fowler

Xiaokun L Chew

Yunfeng Li

Pradeep K Thayamballi

Michael K Liebman

Mark Heimbaugh

Oliver W Northrup

Erik Jesper Eklund

David Chew

Mark S Seymour

William Flynn

Michael Joseph Russell

May Ching Kung

Seungman Chang

Wendy Lorimer

Tim Glassburn

Babu S Rahman

Sudha Narayanan

Haldun Arin

Hossein Moghadam

Daniel Robert Ohlsen

A head gimbal assembly (HGA) for a disk drive includes a load beam, a laminated flexure attached to the load beam, and a head attached to the laminated flexure. The laminated flexure includes a tail for electrical connection between the head and a flex cable of a head stack assembly. The laminated flexure tail may include a plurality of conductive traces, a structural layer, and a dielectric layer there between, and may be disposed partially within a slot of an actuator arm. A first insulative cover layer is disposed on the plurality of conductive traces. A plurality of stand-off islands is disposed on the first insulative cover layer, and over at least one of the plurality of conductive traces (e.g. the writer traces). At least one of the plurality of stand-off islands is at least partially disposed between the first insulative cover layer and the inner slot surface.

Head gimbal assembly having a flexure tail with cover layer standoff islands

A novel suspension assembly includes a suspension assembly mounting plate, a microactuator mounting structure extending from the suspension assembly mounting plate, a load beam extending from the microactuator mounting structure, and a laminated flexure attached to the load beam. The laminated flexure includes a tongue that has a read head bonding surface. The suspension assembly includes a stainless steel surface having a gold coating, and a piezoelectric microactuator attached to the microactuator mounting structure and electrically connected to the gold coating.

Suspension assembly having a microactuator electrically connected to a gold coating on a stainless steel surface

Disclosed is a suspension assembly for a disk drive that includes: a mounting plate having a through-hole; a microactuator mounted on the mounting plate; a flexure attached to the mounting plate, the flexure including a trace layer that includes a ground trace; and a conductive epoxy bonded to the microactuator extending through the through-hole to bond to the flexure, wherein the epoxy extends to the ground trace of the flexure such that the microactuator is grounded to the flexure.

Suspension assembly having a microactuator grounded to a flexure

A disk drive includes a disk drive base, a disk drive top cover, and a head actuator pivotably attached to the disk drive base. The disk drive base and the disk drive top cover together form a disk drive enclosure that encloses the head actuator. At least one read head is attached to the head actuator. A disk drive printed circuit board (PCB) is attached to the disk drive base outside the disk drive enclosure. A motion sensor is attached to the disk drive base outside the disk drive enclosure. The motion sensor is disposed between the disk drive PCB and the disk drive base. The first motion sensor is electrically connected to the disk drive PCB by a plurality of resilient conductive prongs that are preloaded between the disk drive PCB and the first motion sensor.

Shock sensor on an external surface of a disk drive base adjacent a disk drive printed circuit board

A suspension assembly for a head gimbal assembly of a disk drive includes a laminated flexure that includes a tongue for attachment of a read head. The suspension assembly includes a load beam that, in a first aspect of the present invention has a protruding dimple that contacts the tongue. In this aspect of the invention, a diamond-like carbon (DLC) coating is disposed between and contacting the dimple and the tongue. For example, the DLC may be disposed on the tongue at the location of contact with the load beam dimple. Alternatively, in a second aspect of the present invention, the tongue may have a protruding dimple that contacts the load beam. In this aspect of the invention, a DLC coating is disposed between and contacting the dimple and the load beam.

Disk drive head suspension assembly having a DLC coating between dimple and tongue

Disclosed is a suspension assembly for a disk drive that includes: a mounting plate having a through-hole extending from a top-side of the mounting plate to a bottom-side of the mounting plate; a microactuator mounting structure formed in the mounting plate; a microactuator mounted in the microactuator mounting structure; and a flexure attached to the bottom-side of the of mounting plate. The flexure includes: a metal layer; an insulator layer; a trace layer that includes a ground trace; and an opening, wherein the opening extends through the metal layer and the insulator layer to a gold-plated ground trace. A conductive epoxy is bonded to the microactuator and extends through the through-hole to bond to the flexure, wherein the epoxy extends through the opening of the flexure to the gold-plated ground trace of the flexure such that the microactuator is grounded to the flexure.

Disclosed is a suspension assembly for a disk drive that includes: a mounting plate having a top-side and a bottom-side; a microactuator mounting structure formed in the mounting plate; a microactuator mounted in the microactuator mounting structure in which the microactuator has a top-side and a bottom-side; and a flexure attached to the bottom-side of the of mounting plate and the microactuator. The flexure includes a pad layer and a through-hole, in which the through-hole extends through the pad layer. An epoxy on the pad layer bonds widely to the microactuator and extends through the through-hole.

Suspension assembly having a microactuator bonded to a flexure

Certain example embodiments relate to torsion compensation coils that cooperate with primary coils in voice coil motors of disk drive devices, and methods of making the same. In certain example embodiments, a voice coil motor is provided which may include a single external magnet. A primary coil may be located above the external magnet, with the primary coil being capable of receiving a first current. At least one torsion compensation coil may be connected to the primary coil. The at least one torsion compensation coil may be capable of receiving a second current. The at least one torsion compensation coil may be configured to reduce torsion and/or bending forces introduced by the first current passing through primary coil and/or magnetic field leakage from the external magnet.

Torsion compensation coil for voice coil motor of disk drive device, and method of making the same

A rotary actuator motor is provided including a stationary coil section and a rotating magnet. The magnet is incorporated with the pivot bearing assembly, and the coil section is aligned with the magnet along an axis of rotation of the actuator. The magnet fully encircles the axis of rotation. The coil comprises one or more closed loops of electrically conductive material. The motor in this arrangement maintains a much smaller profile in comparison to a traditional voice coil motor that is mounted to a yoke extending away from the axis of rotation of the actuator.

Low-profile rotary motor with fixed back iron

A base for a data storage system is provided having an inner facing surface and an outer facing surface. The base includes a motor well. Formed with inner surface of facing surface of the base includes a medium region, an actuator region and a dam. The medium region is defined by a medium region planar surface surrounding a portion of the motor well, a leading surface and a trailing surface. The actuator region is defined by an actuator region planar surface that is recessed from the medium region planar surface, the leading surface, the trailing surface and a remaining portion of the motor well. The dam has a dam planar surface that surrounds the remaining portion of the motor well and is positioned on the actuator region planar surface between the leading surface and the trailing surface.

Base dam in a data storage system to reduce or eliminate motor leakage

An actuator assembly is provided having a ramp for unloading a transducing head from a storage medium. The actuator assembly includes an actuator arm rotatable about a pivot point and configured to access data on a storage medium. The actuator arm has a base end coupled to a lift tab and a distal end coupled to a transducing head. The actuator assembly also includes an inclined surface located adjacent the base end. The inclined surface is configured to engage with the lift tab to guide the transducing head away from the storage medium.

Load/unload ramp for an actuator assembly in a data storage device

A system provided for protecting a disk drive from impact damages. More specifically, a disk drive is provided that includes an accelerometer interconnected to a printed circuit board that detects free fall of the disk drive. In addition, the velocity of spinning disks of the disk drive is also monitored to assess changes in velocity thereof that may indicate the presence of a tumbling condition. Furthermore, the change in acceleration measured by the accelerometer is monitored to prevent false indications of free fall due to common vibrations. Thus an enhanced system is provided that protects disk drives from the effect of free falls under a wide variety of conditions and allowing for drops from shorter distances to be identified.

Mobile hard disk drive free fall detection and protection

Growing community of inventors

Paso Robles, CA, United States of America

John Edward Scura