Seagate Technology Incorporated

Other

Magnetic Peripherals Inc.

Kenneth Lee Pottebaum

John D Stricklin

Stephen R Genheimer

Jon P Baker

Charles Powell Morris

Roy Lynn Wood

Steve Scott Eckerd

Jackson Wagner Nichols

Svetlana I Kovinskaya

Robert A Alt

Curtis A Trammell

Markus Erwin Mangold

David S Allsup

Louis John Fioravanti

Srinivas Tadepalli

David Douglas Koester

Ryan T Ratliff

Cory Bert Welscher

Jeffrey Don Andress

Phillip R Ridenour

Matthew Glenn Duvall

Mohammad Noman Ahmad

Scott A Bengtson

Jonathan P Baker

Glen D Almgren

Michael P Foster

Various aspects of the present disclosure are directed towards an apparatus/method including rolling elements, an outer ring surrounding an inner ring and the inner and outer rings guiding rotation of the rolling elements in a rotation region therebetween, and a cap secured to the inner ring. The apparatus further includes a bearing shield arrangement secured to one of the outer and inner rings and configured with the other of the outer and inner rings to define a gap for the flow of vapor or lubricant from the rotation region through a vapor restricting pathway.

Apparatuses and methods having a bearing shield arrangement

An actuator assembly is provided that includes a body portion, a first actuator arm assembly, a second actuator arm assembly, a first flexure assembly, and a second flexure assembly. Each of the first and second actuator arm assemblies projects from the body portion and has a distal end with different respective first and second mechanical configurations, sometimes referred to herein as 'mounting configurations.' Each of the flexure assemblies is respectively mounted to the distal ends of the first and second actuator arm assemblies via the respective mounting configuration. The first and second mechanical configurations (mounting configurations) are selected to provide the first and second flexure assemblies with different mechanical resonance characteristics. In a preferred embodiment, the second actuator arm assembly includes an actuator arm and a spacer disposed between the actuator arm and the second flexure assembly. The spacer has a stiffness different from the stiffness of the actuator arm.

Resonant frequency separation for an actuator assembly of a disc drive

An apparatus which provides improved positional control for an access element moveable adjacent a rotatable surface, such as a data transducing head adjacent a data recording disc in a data storage device. The apparatus comprises a fluidic stripper with one or more cantilevered arms which project proximate a corresponding array of one or more rotatable surfaces. Each arm comprises an edge surface which extends proximate to and in facing relationship with a movement path of an access element across the associated rotatable surface to impede fluidic currents established by rotation of the rotatable surface. Each arm further supports a ramp structure which receivingly supports the access element at a position away from the rotatable surface and proximate the innermost diameter during a deactivated mode when the rotatable surface is stationary.

Fluidic stripper assembly with load/unload ramp

An apparatus which provides improved fluidic control includes a circumferentially extending windage plate adapted for placement adjacent a rotatable disc surface. The plate operates to direct fluidic currents established by rotation of the surface. One or more snubber members are supported by the plate to prevent localized contact between the plate and the surface as a result of deflection induced by application of a mechanical shock. Preferably, an access element is moveable along a movement path adjacent the rotatable surface. An air dam comprising a localized increased thickness portion of the plate at a leading or trailing edge of the plate preferably further directs the fluidic flow, and the snubber member-further prevents contact between the air dam and the rotatable surface. The rotatable surface preferably comprises a data recording surface and the access element preferably comprises a data transducing head.

Windage plate with snubber member to limit mechanical deflection

A stepped enclosure for a rotating disc data storage device having an actuator operably moveable within a range of movement adjacent the rotating disc in a data reading and writing relationship. The stepped enclosure comprises an airflow conditioning surface disposed in a substantially close-fitting relationship with the disc and spatially disposed therefrom a first distance. The enclosure further comprises a niche, or recessed area, in the airflow conditioning surface apart from the actuator range of movement defined by a recessed surface disposed a second distance from the disc greater than the first distance.

Stepped enclosure for minimizing airflow excitation in a data storage device

A magnetic disc drive includes a base, a disc rotatably attached to said base, and a ramp attached to the base near said disc. The magnetic disc drive also has an actuator assembly pivotably attached to the base. The actuator assembly rotates about an actuator pivot point. The actuator assembly further includes a suspension attached to one end of the actuator assembly, and a transducer attached to the suspension. The actuator assembly moves the transducer between a transducing position and an unload position. The suspension includes a lift tab which contacts the ramp at a contact point as the transducer is moved to the unload position. As the actuator assembly moves the transducer to the unload position, the contact point moves toward the actuator pivot point. This results in a change of the resonant frequency of the actuator assembly. The resonant frequency is lower when the transducer is near the end of the ramp proximate the disc. The ramp can have a straight or a curved lift tab contact path.

Ramp design for dynamic load

In relating rotational vibration stimuli of a mechanical mounting environment to the performance of a disc drive, a method and system are provided of which the steps are selecting a sample disc drive of a drive species and mounting the sample disc drive within the mechanical mounting environment; attaching an accelerometer to the sample disc drive for measuring rotational vibration; inducing a predetermined rotational vibration stimuli into the mechanical mounting; collecting vibration data with the accelerometer for use in determining the rotational vibration index for the mechanical mounting environment; providing a rotational vibration index for the drive species for comparison with the determined rotational vibration index; and comparing the rotational vibration index calculated for the mechanical mounting environment with the rotational vibration index of the drive species to relate the rotational vibration stimuli of the mechanical mounting environment to the performance of the sample disc drive.

Relation of rotational vibration stimuli to performance of a hard disc drive

Apparatus for protecting a disc drive from damage due to non-operational mechanical shocks, the disc drive including a rotatable disc having an inner radius and an outer radius and a controllably rotatable actuator adjacent the disc. A snubber is provided adjacent the disc, the snubber having a body portion rigidly affixed with respect to the disc and snubber arms connected to the body portion. The snubber arms extend from the body portion towards the disc and above and below the elevation of the disc, with each snubber arm having a distal end located at a position adjacent the disc between the inner and the outer radii of the disc and towards the outer radius of the disc. The height of each snubber arm limits deflection of the disc at the outer radius of the disc as a result of mechanical shock forced supplied to the disc drive assembly.

Over molded disc snubber

An apparatus and method for minimizing damage to a disc drive assembly subjected to non-operational shock. The disc drive has rotatable discs upon which data can be written and read by read/write heads supported by and controllable by an actuator assembly having actuator arms moveable over the complete data containing surfaces of the discs. A disc snubber is supported in apertures in the actuator arms, the disc snubber having bumper arms radially extending to nest the outer perimeters of the discs when the disc drive assembly is in its non-operational mode. The disc snubber is in clearing relationship to the discs in the operational mode. The disc snubber is disposed to dampen disc deflection caused by non-operational shock, thereby avoiding deleterious actuator arm/disc contact.

Actuator arm disc snubber with unitary construction

Method and apparatus for reducing acoustic noise emission in a disc drive assembly. A housing of the disc drive includes first and second plates and side walls which cooperate to form an enclosure for an excitation source disposed within the housing. At least a selected one of the plates has a contact point to which the excitation source is mechanically coupled, a first portion of the selected plate surrounding the contact point and a second portion thereof disposed between the first portion and an outer perimeter of the selected plate, with the second portion having an increased compliance with respect to the first portion. The increased compliance can be formed by reducing the thickness of the second portion. Damping material can be additionally supported by the second portion to provide further acoustic noise reduction.

Acoustic isolator for a disc drive assembly

Apparatus for providing nominally laminar flow of air currents in a disc drive. An actuator supports a head adjacent a rotatable disc and includes a rigid actuator arm with opposing planar top and bottom surfaces and a pair of opposing tapered surfaces which taper to a trailing edge. The top, bottom and tapered surfaces define a cross-sectional enclosure to provide nominally laminar flow of air currents adjacent the actuator arm induced by rotation of the disc. A channel is formed in the enclosure by a plurality of adjoining recessed surfaces to at least partially recess a head conductor along the length of the actuator arm within the enclosure to prevent obstruction of the air currents by the conductor. The conductor is preferably a flex circuit with a semi-flexible dielectric layer which supports a plurality of conductive traces.

Actuator arm with tapered trailing edge and recessed head conductor

Apparatus for protecting a disc drive from damage due to non-operational mechanical shocks, the disc drive comprising a rotatable disc having an inner radius and an outer radius and a controllably rotatable actuator adjacent the disc. A snubber is provided adjacent the disc, the snubber having a body portion rigidly affixed with respect to the disc and snubber arms connected to the body portion. The snubber arms extend from the body portion towards the disc and above and below the elevation of the disc, with each snubber arm having a distal end located at a position adjacent the disc between the inner and the outer radii of the disc and towards the. outer radius of the disc. The height of each snubber arm limits deflection of the disc at the outer radius of the disc as a result of mechanical shock forced supplied to the disc drive assembly.

Actuator assembly mounted disc snubber

A damper for dampening resonance created by a voice coil motor of a disc drive and transmitted to a supporting enclosure, the resonance capable of creating noise signals to the disc drive servo control system. The damper has a dampening member and a liner, the liner being a magnetically permeable member that is magnetically attracted to the voice coil motor and thereby pressingly engaging a magnet housing of the voice coil motor. In a preferred embodiment the dampening member is an acrylic polymer. In an alternative embodiment the dampening member is a fluoroelastomer. The magnet housing has characteristic features that increase the magnetic flux to the liner.

Disc drive magnet housing electro mechanical resonance dampening system

Apparatus for protecting a disc drive from damage due to non-operational mechanical shocks, the disc drive comprising a rotatable disc having an inner radius and an outer radius and a controllably rotatable actuator adjacent the disc. A snubber is provided adjacent the disc, the snubber having a body portion rigidly affixed with respect to the disc and snubber arms connected to the body portion. The snubber arms extend from the body portion towards the disc and above and below the elevation of the disc, with each snubber arm having a distal end located at a position adjacent the disc between the inner and the outer radii of the disc and towards the outer radius of the disc. The height of each snubber arm limits deflection of the disc at the outer radius of the disc as a result of mechanical shock forced supplied to the disc drive assembly.

Shroud mounted disc snubber

A snubber assembly for a disc drive having a plurality of rotatable discs and an actuator assembly supporting read/write heads for flying support above the data surfaces of the discs, the snubber assembly being positioned outboard to the outer perimeters of the discs in a disc clearing position when the disc drive is in the operational mode. The snubber assembly has a plurality of snubber members that nest the discs to limit the deflection of the discs when the snubber assembly is moved to a disc nesting position. A latch member secures the actuator assembly when the snubber assembly is moved to the disc nesting position. In the preferred embodiment, ramp members extend from the snubber members to lift the heads from the data surfaces when the snubber assembly is moved to the disc nesting position.

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Yukon, OK, United States of America

Kenneth Lee Pottebaum