Hitachi Global Storage Technologies Netherlands B.v.

Hgst Netherlands, B.v.

Takeshi Chawanya

Satoshi Hayakawa

Kohichi Takeuchi

Kenji Suzuki

Mutsuro Ohta

Masakazu Sasaki

Eiji Soga

Hiroshi Uchida

Takao Suzuki

Isao Yoneda

Takashi Kouno

Takaaki Deguchi

Kazuyuki Ishibashi

Naoshi Mizumoto

Embodiments of the present invention provide an inexpensive latching mechanism having a necessary and sufficient function to hold an actuator of a magnetic disk drive and including a latch formed in a one-piece structure. According to one embodiment, a latching mechanism for a magnetic disk drive includes a latch lever, a hook, for latching an actuator, extending vertically downward from the latch lever, and a bar, to be pressed by an actuator at its home position in a closing direction, extending vertically downward from the latch arm. A steel pin is attached to the latch lever to urge the latch in an opening direction by a magnetic force.

Actuator latching mechanism for magnetic disk drive

A hard disk drive including a crash stop is disclosed. The crash stop includes a shaft and a resilient member covering a portion of the shaft. In addition, the resilient member includes a right side protrusion and a left side protrusion. The right and left side protrusions are configured to disperse energy from an impact between a head stack assembly and the crash stop.

Impact energy dispersing crash stop for a hard disk drive

A hard disk drive including a housing, at least one disk mounted to the housing, an actuator mounted to the housing and being movable relative to the at least one disk, a conductive component support coupled with the actuator and extending the first surface, the conductive component support having a support wall attaching the conductive component support to the actuator, and a boss coupled with a first surface of the actuator and the support wall, the boss having a first end facing a flat coil side of the actuator and a second end facing a head gimbal assembly side of the actuator, wherein the first end extends further toward the flat coil side than the conductive component entrance portion of the conductive component support such that a portion of the boss overlaps a portion of the conductive component support.

Reducing air flow exposure to conductive components of a hard disk drive

Embodiments of the present invention help provide a simple and inexpensive actuator mechanism for a magnetic disk drive. The actuator mechanism includes an approximately circular coil and a simple shaped magnet, and is capable of displaying adequate performance required for the magnetic disk drive. According to one embodiment, the magnetic disk drive includes an actuator mechanism which has an approximately circular coil and an approximately rectangular magnet. The long axis direction of the rectangular magnet is oriented in parallel to a straight line connecting the center of the inner circle of the circular coil in a state in which the actuator is positioned at the outermost circumference of a data area and the center of the inner circle of the circular coil in a state in which the actuator is positioned at the innermost circumference of the data area.

Actuator mechanism for magnetic disk drive

Embodiments of the present invention restrain the head position accuracy from degrading due to torsional vibration of a head supporting unit. According to an embodiment of the invention, an actuator has a twisted carriage arm. A suspension is tilted in accordance with the twist of the carriage arm. When the carriage arm and the suspension torsionally vibrate, the vibration direction tilts against the normal direction of a recording surface in accordance with the twist. This technique decreases a peak value of off-track displacement that is caused by a head slider and is dependent on relationship between a skew angle and a torsional vibration direction.

Disk drive apparatus and head assembly used for the same

Embodiments suppress a fluttering phenomenon of a wiring structure portion for signal transmission between a head and an FPC. In one embodiment, an actuator has a support portion which accommodates a wiring structure portion. The wiring structure portion is provided at a rear end portion thereof with a wide tab, the tab having pads for connection with the FPC. The support portion has a convex wall portion formed so as to overlap a front end portion of the tab. An air current occurs at an end portion of a magnetic disk in the vertical direction. When the head accesses a track present on the inner periphery side of the magnetic disk, the tab approaches the disk end portion. Since the convex wall portion protects the tab against the air current, it is possible to suppress fluttering of the wiring structure portion and improve the head positioning accuracy.

Data storage device with support for wiring structure portion to suppress fluttering

Embodiments in accordance with the present invention provide a magnetic disk drive with sufficiently low noise. A digital/analog converter supplies to a voice coil motor (VCM) driver a control voltage comprising a first preset voltage value, a second preset voltage value, and a transition voltage value of a substantially cosine wave that interconnects the first preset voltage value and the second preset voltage value. A driving current is supplied from the VCM driver to a voice coil of an actuator assembly. Since a current not containing higher-harmonic components in a transition period flows as a VCM current that flows into the voice coil, vibromotive force can be easily suppressed by shifting a structural resonance point of the entire disk drive including the actuator assembly. In addition, since the back electromotive force occurring in an inductance element is cleared to zero during a half wavelength of period of the cosine wave, speed electromotive force can be measured by immediate shifting from a setting period to a measuring period.

Magnetic disk drive and a loading/unloading method

Embodiments of the invention suppress the occurrence of turbulence in a disk drive. In one embodiment, an HDD includes a spindle motor for rotating a magnetic disk, and a base for housing the spindle motor therein. The base includes a first bottom surface opposed to the magnetic disk, and a second bottom surface that is opposed to the magnetic disk and that is larger in distance to the magnetic disk than the first surface. A step is formed between the first bottom surface and the second bottom surface, where rotation of the magnetic disk produces an airflow running from the first surface toward the second surface. The step is provided with upright fins extending from the first surface toward the second surface which are stood upright.

Disk drive with airflow control and fins at a transition surface between base surfaces

An actuator arm with suppressed arm fluttering is provided. On a main surface of each actuator arm in an actuator arm unit there are formed a rigid area which extends centrally in the longitudinal direction and flow uniformizing areas which are each formed in a substantially flat shape extending longitudinally in adjacency to the rigid area and which are thinner than the rigid area. A balance aperture is not formed in the portion where the flow uniformizing areas and the rigid area are formed, to diminish arm fluttering. Instead of a balance aperture, the flow uniformizing areas also exhibit the effect of reducing the weight of the actuator arm.

Rotating disk storage device with suppressed arm fluttering

A mechanism is provided for restraining and releasing an actuator suspension assembly in a magnetic disk device which is in a retracted position. In a magnetic disk device, according to one embodiment, a magnetic diskis formed of an electrically conductive material and there is disposed a latch memberwhich holds an eddy-current magnet at one end thereof and is provided with a latching portion at an opposite end thereof. An actuator suspension assemblylies in a retracted position and is restrained at a frame engaging portionthereof by means of the latch member. The eddy current magnet is disposed in such a manner that a magnetic pole thereof is opposed to a surface of the magnetic disk at a position close to the disk surface. When the magnetic disk is rotated, an eddy-current is generated and a force is exerted on the eddy-current magnet, so that the latch member turns and releases the actuator suspension assembly.

Using eddy-currents for releasing actuator suspension assembly of rotary disk storage device

One feature of the invention is to support a wiring structure on a side surface of an actuator arm used in a magnetic disk device so as not to allow fluttering to occur. In one embodiment, a wire support memberused in a magnetic disk device includes a protruding wallprovided with an opposing surface facing a wiring structureand protruding in a width direction, and a protruding wallprovided with an opposing surface facing the wiring structureand protruding in a width direction. The wire support memberis provided with a fixing area for accommodating the wiring structure between the opposing surface of the protruding walland the opposing surface of the protruding wall. The wire support memberis further provided with an open area adjoining the fixing area at a longitudinal end portion of the protruding wall and includes protruding wallseach having an opposing surface facing the wiring structure.

Growing community of inventors

Kanagawa, Japan

Takeshi Chawanya