International Business Machines Corporation

Other

Richard Edward Lagergren

James M Rigotti

Jeffrey Fred Boigenzahn

Jerome Thomas Coffey

Brian Lee Rappel

Lyle R Tufty

Dale E Goodman

Todd Phillip Fracek

Darrell Eugene Bratvold

Marvin A Schlimmer

Gregory Allen Lyons

Michael Scott Good

Douglas W Johnson

Randy J Bornhorst

Dale C Goeke

William Woodrow Brooks, Jr

Bryan W Bicknese

Eric Alan Eckberg

Charles Allan Brown

John Beck

Herman Russell Wendt

Luke A Cossette

Wallace E Beuch

Brian Edwin Schultz

Daniel C Stucky

Amy L Warner

Bruce P Kruger

Theodore H Anderson

A data storage disk drive is provided with a spindle which supports a plurality of disks having at least one magnetic disk surface to form a spindle assembly for rotation of the disk surfaces about a common axis and a rotary actuator which supports magnetic transducers for movement in unison about respective disk surfaces. The disk drive includes a disk drive enclosure having die-cast generated predetermined zero draft geometries for mounting the spindle motor shaft and the actuator bearing shaft. The enclosure includes a base casting and a cover casting, each casting including structure for locating and retaining electrical connectors used for connecting to a planar electronics card located outside the drive enclosure. The disk drive includes an effective and easily manufacturable electrical path from a flex circuit to an actuator comb. The disk drive includes a tubular chemical breather filter arranged with integral housing and diffusion channels formed in the cover casting.

Structure and enclosure assembly for a disk drive

An actuator structure includes a flexure suspension with a flag appendage having a cantilevered portion extending parallel to the arm-suspension to form a gap therebetween. The flex cable that connects to the device electronics has an elongated portion secured to the side of the arm-suspension assembly presenting termination pads, which extend to the cable edge, along the elongated portion side and in alignment with the gap between arm-suspension and flag. The leads extending from the transducer are fanned out and extend across the gap. The leads are bonded to the arm-suspension and to the lead cantilevered portion immediately adjoining the gap. To terminate the leads, the flag is folded down 90 degrees, bringing the leads into contact with the te nation pads where they are ultrasonically bonded. The flag is then bent toward its original position causing the fine lead wires to separate between the flag cantilever portion bond and the ultrasonically bonded termination. As the flag is bent back, the fragile connections, between flag and flexure, rupture and the flag is separated from the balance of the arm-suspension assembly. In the assembled condition, the bonding of the fanned out lead wires to the arm-suspension provides strain relief.

Fan and fold head lead termination method using flex cable with edge

An actuator structure includes a flexure suspension with a flag appendage having a cantilevered portion extending parallel to the arm-suspension to form a gap therebetween. The flex cable that connects to the device electronics has an elongated portion secured to the side of the arm-suspension assembly presenting termination pads, which extend to the cable edge, along the elongated portion side and in alignment with the gap between arm-suspension and flag. The leads extending from the transducer are fanned out and extend across the gap. The leads are bonded to the arm-suspension and to the lead cantilevered portion immediately adjoining the gap. To terminate the leads, the flag is folded down 90 degrees, bringing the leads into contact with the termination pads where they are ultrasonically bonded. The flag is then bent toward its original position causing the fine lead wires to separate between the flag cantilever portion bond and the ultrasonically bonded termination. As the flag is bent back, the fragile connections, between flag and flexure, rupture and the flag is separated from the balance of the arm-suspension assembly. In the assembled condition, the bonding of the fanned out lead wires to the arm-suspension provides strain relief.

Fan and fold head lead termination structure using flex cable with edge

A data storage disk drive is provided with a spindle which supports at least one disk having at least one magnetic disk surface to form a spindle assembly for rotation of the disk surfaces about a common axis and a rotary actuator which supports at least one magnetic tranducers for movement about respective disk surfaces. The enclosure includes a base casting and a cover casting. The base casting include predetermined registration surfaces for mounting the spindle and the rotary actuator and having a mating face. The cover casting has a mating face for engaging the base mating face to define the disk drive enclosure for enclosing the spindle, the at least one disk surface, the at least one magnetic transducer and the actuator. The mating faces extend along the length of the disk drive enclosure. The base casting including a locational and retention cast pocket structure for locating and retaining electrical connector and a flexible cable used for connecting to a planar electronics card located outside the drive enclosure.

Enclosure assembly for a disk with a locational and retention cast

An apparatus for mounting an actuator of a data storage system to a housing which uses a single mounting screw. The mounting screw is disposed within an aperture provided on the housing cover and a central bore of the actuator shaft, and secures the actuator shaft to a housing cover and base casting. A mounting boss is disposed on the base casting and adapted for registering with the actuator shaft and receiving the mounting screw. Efficient top-down assembly of standard and small form factor data storage systems is facilitated by employment of the novel actuator mounting apparatus.

Actuator mounting apparatus for top-down data storage system assembly

A Direct Access Storage Device (DASD), either magnetic or optical, wherein the chamber which encloses the disk, actuator and electrical connections is sealed from the outside conditions by disposing a seal or gasket about a connector which is surface mounted on a flex cable and disposing the connector in a passage through the base of the DASD. The flex cable is disposed adjacent the inner surface of the cover, and a tail portion of the flex cable is folded to an orientation to position the tail so that it may be attached to an actuator or similar mechanism within the DASD. The tail is maintained in its proper orientation once inserted into a slot formed into the base member. The slot side walls constrain the tail without the need to have the tail fixedly attached to the base member at any point and thereby easing assembly, disassembly, rework and/or repair of the DASD. Compressive forces exerted on the flex cable by the cover and cover screws effectively ground the flex cable through a grounding tab engaged with the base. Further, the compressive forces exerted by the cover against the flex cable, gasket, and base member insure an effective seal of the internal chamber of the DASD from the exterior conditions.

Direct access storage device with improved reliability flex cable

A novel inertial actuator latch assembly adapted for use within the compact housing configuration of a very small form factor data storage system comprises an actuator latch and a separate latch spring. A portion of an inertia member of the actuator latch extends over a portion of a surface of the data storage disk and is separated therefrom by a clearance gap having a size typically on the order of tenths of a millimeter. A novel tilt limiting apparatus prevents deleterious contact between the inertia member and the sensitive surface of the data storage disk in response to a strong external rotational shock force being exerted on the data storage system housing. Automatic registration and coupling features provide for easy and efficient installation of the tilt limiting inertial actuator latch assembly in a top-down assembly process.

Tilt limiting inertial actuator latch for a data storage system

A disk drive or direct access storage device (DASD) of the type having multiple disks and multiple actuator arms, both the disks and the actuator arms assembled in a stacked manner, advantageously assembled with the locating surface or flange of the actuator disposed on the opposite side of the stacked actuator arms from the side of the disk stack having the locating surface or flange for the disk hub. This opposite flange design results in a substantial reduction in the effects of tolerance buildup and therefore permits the design of the disk drive equal in all other respects to a conventional same side flange arrangement, but permitting additional disks, lower height, less tightly defined tolerances on components or the use of cheaper manufacturing techniques and technologies for recording data.

Direct access storage device with opposing actuator and spindle flanges

A resilient and compliant shock rail is provided on the sides of the bottom cover for a PCMCIA standard Direct Access Storage Device. The shock rails, being of a resilient and easily deformable material, lengthen the impact time and attenuates the shock forces exerted on the DASD, thereby bringing the deceleration forces to acceptable levels. The shock rail may be further provided with low friction surfaces by bonding thin metal plates to the top and bottom surfaces of the shock rails to ease insertion and withdrawal of the PCMCIA DASD. The shock rail is provided with reinforcing members to insure that the keying scheme required for proper insertion is effective.

Compliant rail for shock protection of a PCMCIA DASD

A data storage disk drive is provided with a spindle which supports a plurality of disks having at least one magnetic disk surface to form a spindle assembly for rotation of the disk surfaces about a common axis and a rotary actuator which supports magnetic transducers for movement in unison about respective disk surfaces. The disk drive includes a voltage reference tab provided for quick assembly and removal from an actuator comb. The voltage reference tab maintains the magneto-resistive transducers and the magnetic disks at the same reference voltage potential thus minimizing electrical discharge from the transducer to the disk. The voltage reference tab is a copper tab having symmetrical slots about a fastening hole to facilitate the bending operation and to reduce the rate at which heat is conducted during the soldering process. The tab maintains the voltage reference potential between the head and disk through an extension of the flex cable attached to the actuator.

A magnetic bistable latch mechanism for latching the actuator of a disk drive in a parked position is described. The latch comprises a magnetically detented latch lever which engages and latches a latch arm in a parked position. The latch arm is part of actuator motor structure and accordingly latches the actuator motor. The latch lever is held in either the latched or unlatched position by magnetic attraction and resists shocks and impacts that otherwise would move the actuator. The latch lever is shifted from one position t the other by the actuator motor eliminating the need for additional circuitry or mechanisms to control the latch. Additionally, the latch does not consume any electrical power in either the latched or unlatched condition.

Disk drive actuator latch

A shared document feed station includes a common drive mechanism for normally advancing a receipt tape through a receipt tape zone and for selective operation to advance an alternative document through an alternative document zone. Document detectors sense the presence of a document in the alternative document zone and function to inhibit the drive mechanism from advancing the receipt tape while enabling the advance of the alternative document.

Growing community of inventors

Rochester, MN, United States of America

Richard Edward Lagergren