Seagate Technology Incorporated

Roger Alan Resh

Peter Crane

Adam Karl Himes

Andrew Robert Motzko

Sandeepan Bhattacharya

Michael A Mewes

Maxwell Reese Kraus

Zine-Eddine Boutaghou

Jing Gui

Bruno Jean Marchon

Lei Zhang

John Christopher Morris

Markus Erwin Mangold

Ravishankar Ajjanagadde Shivarama

Joseph Cheng-Tsu Liu

Travis Eugene Ell

James Roger Mahoney

Shri Hari Narayan

Theodore R Browning

Jagdish L Agrawal

James A Fisher

Chayakorn Thanomsat

David Douglass Koester

A data storage device includes a first actuator and a second actuator rotatable around a common axis. The data storage device further includes a first electrical connector configured to communicate electrical signals to and from the first actuator via a first flexible circuit. The data storage device further includes a second electrical connector separate from but in a stacked arrangement with the first electrical connector. The second electrical connector is configured to communicate electrical signals to and from the second actuator via a second flexible circuit.

Multi-actuator interconnector

According to some embodiments, a storage device includes a first actuator and a second actuator rotatable around a common axis. The storage device further includes a first electrical connector configured to communicate electrical signals to and from the first actuator, and a second electrical connector configured to communicate electrical signals to and from the second actuator and to communicate electrical signals to and from the first electrical connector. The storage device includes a hermetically-sealed body, the hermetically-sealed body including a base deck and a top cover, wherein the second electrical connector is configured to send and receive electrical signals to and from the first actuator and the second actuator through a single aperture in the hermetically-sealed body.

An apparatus includes at least one actuator shaft. First and second head stack assemblies are coaxially located on the actuator shaft(s). The first and second head stack assemblies each include: at least one bearing having an inner race coupled to an outer surface of the actuator shaft(s); an E-block surrounding an outer race of the at least one bearing; an annular gap is between the E-block and the outer race of the at least one bearing; a ring of bonding material filling the annular gap; and an access gap providing a fluid path to the annular gap from at least one of a top and a bottom of the E-block.

Split actuator with multiple head stack assemblies bonded to bearing sleeves

A suspension is provided, which has a base, a load beam and a hinge structure. The hinge structure and at least one of the base and the load beam are formed of a single continuous piece of multiple layer laminate material, which includes first and second layers. The hinge structure includes a first beam formed by the first layer and a second beam formed by the second layer. The first layer is absent along the second beam and the second layer is absent along the first beam such that the first and second beams are vertically offset from one another. The first and second beams extend between the base and the load beam.

Disc flutter compensating suspension

A disc drive suspension is provided, which includes a longitudinal axis, a rigid load beam section and a preload transfer section. The rigid load beam section extends along the longitudinal axis and has first and second opposing lateral side edges with respective first and second stiffening rails. The first and second stiffening rails are bent out-of-plane with respect to a main body portion of the rigid load beam section and terminate at a distal end of the rigid load beam section. The preload transfer section extends distally from the distal end of the rigid load beam section and has a third stiffening rail. The third stiffening rail is bent out-of-plane with respect to a main body portion of the preload transfer section and extends longitudinally from the distal end of the rigid load beam section.

Disc drive suspension having tip stiffener

Piezoelectric elements or similar microactuators perform fine positioning in a system including at least two masses bendably coupled to a larger body. A servo controller receives a position signal from a sensor on the first mass, from which it generates a signal to control microactuators coupling other masses to the body. The movement of the other masses thereby exerts a controlled reactive force upon the body and upon the first mass. Examples include disc drive systems in which the reactive forces are used to counteract one or more unwanted excitations in an actuator body or actuator arm.

Microactuator-induced reactive forces for fine positioning a sensor

Apparatus and method for cooling the actuator coil with a suitable heat sink structure. The heat sink thermally couples the coil to one or more of the head-carrying arms, which are positioned close enough to the disc stack that rotation of the stack cools them. In one embodiment, a gap is formed between the coil and a thermal conduit, and the gap is made wide enough to allow a majority of the gap to be filed with a solid dielectric. Another embodiment is a method for controlling the minimum gap thickness. In yet another embodiment, a rotary actuator includes a heat conduit with a concave surface for bonding to the coil, increasing rigidity and thermal conduction.

Thermally compensated rotary positioning system for a disc drive

A dynamically symmetric actuator is disclosed for reducing off-track motion. The dynamically symmetric actuator of the present invention limits torsional or twisting motion of the actuator arm which reduces off-track motion. In one embodiment, the actuator arm includes a thickness step designed to balance stiffness of inner and outer portions of the actuator arm. The thickness step forms multi-thickness tiers, the dimensions of which can be modeled to optimize a first bending mode frequency of the actuator arm to further reduce off-track motion or errors.

Dynammically symmetric actuator

A disc drive has a recording disc rotatable around an axis, a slider supporting a transducing head for transducing data with the disc, and a dual-stage actuation assembly supporting the slider to position the transducing head adjacent a selected radial track of the disc. The dual-stage actuation assembly includes a movable actuator arm, a suspension assembly supported by the actuator arm and including a flexure, a tongue supporting the slider, and a microactuator. The microactuator includes a rotor attached to the tongue and a stator attached to the flexure and operatively connected to the rotor to radially move the rotor with respect to the stator. At least one beam is attached between the slider bond pad and the stator.

Electromagnetic disc drive microactuator and suspension

A disc drive includes a spindle motor, a spindle, a disc, control circuitry, an actuator, and an armature. The spindle motor is coupled to the spindle to which the disc is also coupled. The control circuitry is coupled to the actuator and provides the actuator with control signals. The armature includes a load beam coupled to the actuator such that energization of the actuator displaces the load beam. The gimbal is coupled to the head and is also coupled to the load beam by a plurality of spaced apart attachment points. An interconnect operably couples the head to the control circuitry.

Suspension assembly gimbal load beam stiffener

A head suspension for mounting and supporting the head assembly in a disc drive. The head suspension includes a ramp contact feature located adjacent the leading edge of the head assembly, and the ramp contact feature is in the form of an inclined cylinder with a spherical contact end. The shape of the ramp contact feature allows for simplification of the ramp surface profile and provides the ability to allow for assembly tolerance build-up in multi-disc disc drive assemblies.

Disc drive head suspension with single-point contact feature for ramp load/unload

A system for unloading heads from and loading heads into cooperative engagement with discs in a disc drive, including a novel head suspension for mounting and supporting the heads. The head suspension includes a primary ramp contact feature formed as a portion of the load beam portion of the head suspension and a secondary ramp contact feature formed as an extension of the mounting tab of the gimbal portion of the head suspension. The primary ramp contact feature acts as the principal lifting mechanism of the head suspension, while the secondary ramp contact feature serves to controllably lift the head. In an alternative embodiment, only the secondary ramp contact feature is used for the unloading and loading of the head.

Disc drive head suspension with gimbal contact feature for ramp

Non operational shock resistance is achieved by preventing separation of the read/write head from the disk. Embodiments include optimizing the normal stiction force of a lubricant topcoat by controlling the texture geometry of the landing zone and lubricant topcoat thickness, particularly the density of protrusions. Laser textured landing zones having a protrusion density above about 4,500 protrusions/mm.sup.2 can provide an optimal normal stiction force in excess of 25 gf per interface and a lateral stiction force below 10 gf per interface.

Magnetic recording medium with high non-operational shock resistance

A disc drive flex circuit head interconnect includes a base dielectric layer, a plurality of electrical conductors disposed on the base dielectric layer, and a displacement limiter coupled to the base dielectric layer. The displacement limiter is adapted to contact a disc drive load beam when the interconnect is displaced a selected distance. A disc drive head suspension assembly includes a load beam, a flex circuit head interconnect, and a head. The load beam has a tongue with a distal end and a dimple extending downwardly therefrom. The flex circuit head interconnect is disposed on the load beam, the interconnect has a base dielectric layer, a plurality of electrical conductors disposed thereon, and a head attach region. The head has a top side and an air bearing surface bottom side, the head is coupled to the head attach region of the flex circuit head interconnect such that the head gimbals about the dimple. The flex circuit head interconnect includes a displacement limiter disposed proximate the head attach region, the limiter contacting the tongue when the head is moved a predetermined distance away from the dimple.

Flexure displacement limiter-flex circuit interconnect

A disc drive head suspension assembly includes a recording head, a load beam and a gimbal. The recording head includes a recording surface and a back surface. The load beam includes a front surface, a back surface, a distal end and a load protrusion. The load protrusion extends from the front surface of the load beam toward the back surface of the recording head. The gimbal is attached to the back surface of the load beam and includes a head mounting tab which is positioned beyond the distal end of the load beam. The recording head is attached to the head mounting tab. A first displacement limiter extends between the load beam and the gimbal, which limits vertical displacement of the gimbal in a direction toward the recording head relative to the load beam.

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Prior Lake, MN, United States of America

Roger Alan Resh