Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.

Seagate Technology International

Kelly Williams

Tho Pham

Joseph Chang

Bill S Wang

Seong Woo Kang

Ron Kirkish

Bong Jin Lee

A disk hard disk drive that includes a spindle motor and an actuator arm coupled to a base plate. A plurality of disks are coupled to the spindle motor and a plurality of heads are coupled to the actuator arm and the disks. The drive also includes a cover attached to the base plate. The cover and base plate enclose a hard disk area that has a horizontal center line. The hard disk area includes a volume of air above the horizontal center line that is equal to a volume of air below the horizontal center line. The air space within the hard disk area is equal and symmetrical in a vertical direction. Such an arrangement reduces track mis-registration when servo is copied from a disk surface to the other surfaces of the disks in the drive.

Equalization and minimization of multi-head stack assembly's motion during self servo writing and HDD operation

A latch for securing an actuator arm of a hard disk drive. The latch has a catch portion that can engage a latch portion of the actuator arm. The latch also has a pusher portion and a crash stop portion that engage the actuator arm during movement into a latched position and prevent the latch from rebounding away from the arm. The pusher and crash stop portions eliminate the need for a separate crash stop in the disk drive. Eliminating the separate crash stop component reduces the complexity and cost for mass producing the disk drive.

Pawl latch for ramp loading hard disk drivers

A latch for an actuator arm of a hard disk drive. The latch includes a damping sleeve that is molded onto a steel plate. The sleeve has a pair of collars located at opposite ends of a neck portion. The neck portion is inserted into a plastic fantail portion of an actuator arm. The steel plate becomes attached to a magnetized member of the drive when the actuator arm is rotated to an unloaded position. The attachment of the plate, latches the position of the actuator arm and prevents the disk drive heads from moving onto the data sectors of the disk. The latch is located on the longitudinal center axis of the actuator arm so that the latch does not create a twisting vibrational mode on the arm. The steel plate is located away from the voice coil magnets of the disk drive so that the latch does not create a biasing force on the arm. The latch can be assembled to the actuator arm by merely pressing the damping sleeve into an aperture of a tab that extends from the fantail of the arm.

Hard disk drive latch which has a metal plate attached to the end face

A crash stop is used for an actuator arm of a hard disk drive. The crash stop includes a base portion that is pivotally connected to a post that separates the magnets of a voice coil motor. Extending from the base portion is a tab portion that can be rotated between a first position and a second position. When in the second position the tab limits the movement of the actuator arm so that the sliders of the disk drive cannot move off of the disks. The actuator arm, voice coil motor and crash stop can be installed by initially placing the crash stop in the first position and orienting the actuator arm in an off disk position. The actuator arm and voice coil motor are then mounted to a base plate of the disk drive. The actuator arm is rotated to load the magnetic heads onto the disks of the disk drive. The crash stop is then rotated to the second position and a cover is subsequently attached to the base plate to enclose the assembly.

Rotating crash stop assembly for hard disk drives

A balanced spin motor assembly of a hard disk drive. The spin motor includes a spindle that is mounted to a base plate of the disk drive by a plurality of mounting screws that are attached to mounting holes of the spindle and base plate. At least one recording disk is attached to a hub assembly that rotates relative to the spindle. The hub assembly contains magnets that are coupled to a coil located within the motor. Energizing the coil with a current creates a torque that rotates the hub and spins the disks. The hub assembly has a plurality of equally spaced threaded apertures located at a top portion and a bottom portion of the hub. The spin motor can be balanced by attaching weight screws to the threaded apertures of the hub. Weight screws can be attached to the bottom portion of the hub through the mounting holes of the base plate and the spindle. Accessing the hub through the mounting holes allows the spin motor to be dynamically balanced while attached to the base plate of the drive.

Growing community of inventors

Brentwood, CA, United States of America

Kelly Williams