Western Digital Technologies, Inc.

Nidec Corporation

Jonathan M Garbarino

John R Gustafson

Nils E Larson

Michael K Liebman

Takehito Tamaoka

Keith R Berding

Kazuhiko Fukushima

Lin Yang

Jin Hui Ou-Yang

Scott Edward Watson

Masayoshi Saichi

Kazushi Miura

Katsuya Takahashi

Enoch Mylabathula

Hironori Ando

Joshua P Weiher

Baekho Heo

Daniel T Nguyen

Brian P Schott

Robert N Lion

Andre Y Liem

A disk drive assembly including a disk drive enclosure including an enclosure main body forming an interior region, the interior region having a Voice Coil Motor (VCM) assembly receiving portion configured to hold a VCM assembly; and a cover member configured to engage the enclosure main body and cover the interior region of the enclosure main body, and expose at least a portion of the VCM Assembly receiving portion; and a VCM assembly disposed within the VCM assembly receiving portion of the enclosure main body, the VCM assembly comprising a cover supporting member configured to engage and support the cover member.

Coined VCM tab to limit cover deflection under pinch load

A fastener comprises a shaft extending along a longitudinal axis, and a sleeve wrapped partially around the shaft. The sleeve comprises an inner surface adjacent the shaft, an outer surface, an upper extent, a lower extent, a first circumferential extent, a second circumferential extent, and a gap extending longitudinally from the upper extent to the lower extent and separating the first circumferential extent from the second circumferential extent. The sleeve has a first thickness adjacent the first circumferential extent that is less than a second thickness between the second circumferential extent and the first circumferential extent. A cross-sectional centroid of the shaft between the upper extent and the lower extent is in substantially the same location, with the sleeve in different first and second rotational positions.

Wedge based fastener

A disk drive including a disk having a bottom surface and a base having a first surface lying along a first plane and a second surface lying along a second plane positioned substantially parallel to the first plane. The second surface is spaced apart from the first surface and is beneath at least a portion of the bottom surface of the disk. A damper of the disk drive is located on the second surface adjacent the first surface and is configured to contact a portion of the bottom surface of the disk when the disk is deflected toward the first surface.

Disk deflection damper for disk drive

A spindle motor includes a base portion, a rotor hub, a stator, and a circuit board. The base portion preferably includes a through hole and is arranged to spread out radially around a central axis. The rotor hub is arranged above the base portion to rotate about the central axis. The stator is arranged above the base portion, and includes coils each including at least one lead wire. The circuit board is arranged radially outward of the through hole, and arranged on a lower surface of the base portion. The base portion includes a communicating groove arranged to join the through hole and the circuit board to each other. The at least one lead wire of the coils is arranged to pass inside the through hole and the communicating groove to be electrically connected to the circuit board. The through hole is sealed with a sealant.

Spindle motor having connecting mechanism connecting lead wire and circuit board, and storage disk drive having the same

Disclosed is a clamp fastener that includes a convex head to prevent damage due to contact from a cover of a disk drive. The disk drive comprises a disk, a spindle motor, a disk clamp mounted to a top surface of the disk, and a clamp fastener. The clamp fastener includes a convex head. The clamp fastener is mounted through the disk clamp to connect the disk clamp and the disk to the spindle motor such that the spindle motor spins the disk, wherein the convex head is nearer to the cover than the disk clamp.

Disk drive having a clamp fastener with a convex head

A fastener that includes a shaft and a sleeve is provided. The shaft extends along a longitudinal axis that passes through a central portion, e.g., the centroid of a head of the shaft. The sleeve is wrapped partially around the shaft. The sleeve has a gap that separates first and second circumferential extents thereof, a first thickness adjacent the first circumferential extent, and a second thickness between the second circumferential extent and the first circumferential extent. The first thickness is less than the second thickness. The sleeve has a first rotational position relative to the shaft and a second rotational position relative to the shaft different form the first rotational position. The longitudinal axis is in substantially the same location in both the first and second rotational positions.

A head stack assembly for use in a disk drive is provided that includes an actuator body, a rotary bearing, a sleeve, and a cam member. The actuator body is pivotable about an axis of rotation. The actuator body has an actuator bore that extends along the axis of rotation. The actuator bore includes an actuator bore surface. The sleeve is disposed between the rotary bearing and the actuator body and comprises a first surface that engages the actuator bore surface. The cam member has a second surface eccentric to said first surface. The second surface engages the actuator bore surface.

Disk drive actuator rotary bearing attachment with cam member

A spindle motor for use in a disk drive having a rotatable head stack assembly. The spindle motor has a spindle motor hub. The spindle motor further has a magnet radially attached about the spindle motor hub. The spindle motor further has a spindle motor stator. The spindle motor has a stator rim. The spindle motor stator further has a plurality of stator teeth arrayed about and internally extending from the stator rim. The stator teeth are sized to fit about the magnet in operable communication therewith for rotating the spindle motor hub. The stator teeth have laminate layers. The stator teeth have a least one reduced height stator tooth having fewer laminate layers than a remainder of the stator teeth. The reduced height stator tooth is positionable adjacent the head stack assembly for allowing the head stack assembly to pivot over the reduced height stator tooth.

Spindle motor having spindle motor stator with laminate layers for increased head stack assembly access

A disk drive having a spindle motor and a head stack assembly. The spindle motor has a spindle motor hub having an axis of rotation. The spindle motor has a magnet radially attached about the spindle motor hub. The spindle motor has a spindle motor stator having a stator rim and a plurality of stator teeth arrayed about and internally extending from the stator rim towards the axis of rotation. The stator teeth are fit about the magnet in operable communication therewith for rotating the spindle motor hub. At least one of the stator teeth is a bare stator tooth and the head stack assembly pivots over the bare stator tooth. In another embodiment a reduced winding height stator tooth is provided with head stack assembly pivoting over the reduced winding height stator tooth.

Spindle motor having spindle motor stator for increased head stack assembly access

A disk drive includes an enclosure having a cover and a base, a spindle motor assembly, a disk, and an arcuate raised portion on the base. The disk is mounted on a hub of the spindle motor assembly and has a first surface and a second surface. The first surface is proximate the base and is spaced apart from the base by a first clearance distance. The arcuate raised portion on the base is spaced apart from the disk by a second clearance distance. The second clearance distance is less than the first clearance distance. At least a portion of the disk is superposed over the arcuate raised portion.

Aerodynamic base design for TMR reduction

A spindle motor for a disk drive is disclosed having a carrier assembly supported on a mounting structure by an elastomeric damper for damping and isolating mechanical vibration and noise generated by the spindle motor. The carrier assembly includes a carrier on which is supported the remaining components of the spindle motor such as the hub, bearings, rotor and stator.

Reduced acoustics treatment spindle motor for a disk drive

A spindle motor for use in a disk drive having a rotatable head stack assembly. The spindle motor has a spindle motor hub having an axis of rotation. The spindle motor has a magnet radially attached about the spindle motor hub. The spindle motor has a spindle motor stator having a stator rim and a plurality of stator teeth arrayed about and internally extending from the stator rim towards the axis of rotation. The stator teeth being are to fit about the magnet in operable communication therewith for rotating the spindle motor hub. Two respective ones of the stator teeth are spaced apart along the stator rim to allow the head stack assembly to pivot between the two respective ones of the stator teeth.

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San Jose, CA, United States of America

Jonathan M Garbarino