Hutchinson Technology Corporation

Cambridge Mechatronics Limited

Richard Rodger Jenneke

Peter Francis Ladwig

Mark A Miller

Jacob D Bjorstrom

Jeffry S Bennin

Zachary A Pokornowski

Craig A Leabch

Reed T Hentges

Mark Steven Lewandowski

John A Theget

Michael T Hofflander

Shawn P Bopp

Brian D Schafer

John L Wagner

John E Theisen

Brian J Stepien

James Robert Howarth

Robin Eddington

Stephen Matthew Bunting

Donald M Anderson

Chee Keong Lai

Raymond R Wolter

Andrew Benjamin David Brown

Bryan John Scheele

Paul Valentine Pesavento

Timothy A McDaniel

Erich W Bierbrauer

Todd Austin Peter

Timothy Alan Mcdaniel

A camera lens suspension assembly includes a support member including a support metal base layer, a moving member including a moving metal base layer, bearings and smart memory alloy wires. The support member includes a bearing plate portion, static wire attach structures, and mount regions. A printed circuit on the support metal base layer includes traces extending to each static wire attach structure. The moving member includes a moving plate portion, elongated flexure arms extending from a periphery of the moving plate portion and including mount regions on ends opposite the moving plate portion, and moving wire attach structures. The bearings are between and engage the bearing plate portion of the support member and the moving plate portion of the moving member. Each of the smart memory alloy wires is attached to and extends one of the static wire attach structures and one of the moving wire attach structures.

Integrated camera lens suspension

A camera assembly comprises a lens assembly supported on a support structure, wherein the lens assembly includes an autofocus actuator arrangement and the camera assembly includes an optical image stabilization assembly arranged to move the lens assembly in a plane perpendicular to the optical axis. A flexible printed circuit tape connected between the support structure and the lens assembly and providing an electrical connection to the auto-focus actuator arrangement is bent around a corner, thereby allowing the flexible printed circuit tape to accommodate the motion of the lens assembly perpendicular to the optical axis. A crimp plate connected to the lens assembly which crimps shape memory alloy wires has features extending out of the plane of the crimp plate for reducing flexibility. At least part of the optical image stabilization assembly overlaps the lens assembly in the direction along the optical axis, thereby reducing the height of the camera assembly.

Camera assembly

A miniature camera () comprising at least one SMA actuator wire () arranged to effect focus, zoom or optical image stabilization. The SMA actuator wire () is coated with an electrically insulating layer () of thickness in the range from 0.3 &#x3bc;m to 10 &#x3bc;m. The layer () provides electrical insulation whilst permitting cooling that provides a rapid response time of the SMA actuator wire ().

Insulation of SMA actuator wires in a miniature camera

A camera lens suspension assembly includes a support member including a support metal base layer formed from a first unitary metal component, comprising a bearing plate portion in the support metal base layer. The assembly also includes a moving member including a moving metal base layer formed from a second unitary metal component and mounted to the support member, comprising a moving plate portion in the moving metal base layer, and flexure arms in the moving metal base layer extending from the moving plate portion and coupled to the support member. The assembly further includes a plurality of bearing-retaining recess between the bearing plate portion of the support member and the moving plate portion of the moving member, and ball-bearings within the bearing-retaining recesses, and between and engaging the bearing plate portion and the moving plate, to enable movement of the moving member with respect to the support member.

Ball-bearing retainers

A suspension assembly is described. A suspension assembly including a support member; a moving member; one or more bearings; and one or more bearing limiters. The one or more bearings between the support member and the moving member to space the support member and moving member by a bearing distance about the z axis. And, the one or more bearing limiters between the first and second members to limit movement of the support member and moving member about the z axis to a gap distance that is less than the bearing distance.

Bearing limiter structures in optical image stabilization suspensions

A stainless steel dual stage actuated disk drive head suspension baseplate including a plated electrical contact area having nickel and gold. The baseplate can be heat treated. The nickel and gold can be in a mixture.

Low resistance ground joints for dual stage actuation disk drive suspensions

A camera lens suspension assembly comprises a support member including a support metal base layer formed as single piece of metal, a moving member including a moving metal base layer formed as a single piece of metal, a plurality of bearings and smart shape memory alloy wires. The bearings are between the support member and the moving member, to enable movement of the moving member with respect to the support member. Each of the shape memory alloy wires is attached to and extends between a static wire attach structure formed in the support metal base layer and a moving wire attach structure formed in the moving metal base layer.

Stable, low resistance conductive adhesive ground connections between motor contacts and a gold-plated contact area on a stainless steel component of a dual stage actuated suspension. The stainless steel component can be a baseplate, load beam, hinge, motor plate, add-on feature or flexure.

A head suspension or head suspension component for supporting a head slider over a rigid disk in a dynamic storage device and a method of manufacturing. The head suspension includes a head suspension component and a compliant locating feature formed within the head suspension component. The compliant locating feature includes a plurality of spring beam tabs defined by an aperture and positioned to extend toward an opening. The compliant feature is preferably configured to receive a tapered cylindrical pin through the opening for precisely locating the head suspension component relative to a desired reference while the spring beam tabs are engaged by the tapered pin. The head suspension component may include two or more compliant locating features, and the head suspension may include two or more components that each include one or more compliant locating features.

Method for manufacturing a head suspension

Hand suspension with compliant locating feature

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Hutchinson, MN, United States of America

Richard Rodger Jenneke