Seagate Technology Incorporated

Other

Terence H West

Shawn E Casey

Walter Wong

Aaron Steve Macpherson

William Repphun

Gregg C Johnson

Robert F Hoppe

Daniel Scott Thompson

Chun-Jer C Cheng

Robert E Yates

A breather filter is assembled within a disc drive by positioning the filter atop a flex circuit bracket on a base plate of the drive. A breather port is formed through a top cover of the disc drive, and an inlet of the breather filter is sealed against the top cover of the drive. Compressing the top cover against the top of the breather filter helps to retain the filter in position between the flex circuit bracket and the top cover without an adhesive connection to the top cover. The connection of the breather filter to the flex circuit bracket allows a top-down assembly of the disc drive so that an adhesive connection between the filter and the top cover of the drive is not required.

Disc drive breather filter mounted to a flex circuit bracket

An apparatus and method for securing an information storage disc within a disc drive incorporates a spindle motor, a rotatable spindle hub, a disc clamp and a disc clamp nut. The disc clamp is positioned on the rotatable spindle hub to clamp the information storage disc to the spindle motor. The disc clamp defines a middle annular raised portion for accepting a predetermined pre-load force to compress the disc clamp down onto the information storage disc. The pre-load force is perpendicular to the disc clamp, and is applied symmetrically around a spindle motor axis of rotation. The disc clamp nut includes a flat engagement surface that secures the pre-loaded disc clamp to the hub. The pre-load force is released once the disc clamp nut is positioned so as to secure the disc clamp to the hub of the disc drive spindle motor. A series of substantially parallel engagement surfaces on the disc clamp nut, disc clamp and hub ensure that the pre-load force is uniformly applied to the information storage disc. The engagement surfaces between the disc clamp, hub and information storage disc can also be co-planar.

Single disc clamp nut for disc clamping in a disc drive

An improved locking system for securing the actuator of a disc drive at a park position. The locking system includes a rotatable lock mechanism that is normally biased to a lock position. When the actuator is moved to the park position, a cooperative lock feature on the moving portion of the actuator interacts with a pawl feature on the rotatable lock mechanism to momentarily overcome the biasing force. When the lock feature on the moving portion of the actuator moves beyond the pawl feature, the bias force acts to return the rotatable lock mechanism to its locked position with the pawl feature engaging a cooperative surface on the lock feature to lock the actuator at the park position against a lightly compressed compliant limit stop and to maintain the actuator at the park position in the presence of applied mechanical shocks. The locking system also includes a voice coil motor element, responsive to electronic control circuitry, which is used to controllably overcome the biasing force on the movable lock element and release the actuator for normal operational interaction with the discs.

Device for locking and unlocking a disc drive actuator having locking elements separate from unlocking elements

A storage device including a housing defining a controlled environment. A storage medium is mounted in the housing, with a liquid lubricant contained in the housing and disposed on the surface of the storage medium. A spindle motor is provided in the housing for rotating the storage medium. At least one read/write head is mounted on an actuator assembly, the assembly for positioning the read/write head with respect to the storage medium. Control electronics are coupled to the actuator, read write head, and spindle motor, for interacting with the actuator, head, and motor to read data from and write data to the storage medium. The device housing has a length of about four inches, a height of about five-tenths inch, and a width of about two and three-quarters inches. A wick is provided to recirculate and dispose the liquid bearing on the surface of the storage medium. The wick generally has a disposing portion, positioned adjacent each side of the storage medium, and a collection portion disposed within the housing. The collection portion collects fluids at all attitudes in which the storage device housing may be oriented.

Lubricated disk drive

A magnetic latch for holding a head positioner assembly within a disc drive system. The disc drive system has a head positioning apparatus located within a housing for positioning a plurality of read/write heads relative to a recording media within the housing. The head positioning assembly carries a voice coil motor for precisely controlling the movements of the head positioner assembly. The magnetic latch is positioned within a bumper stop that limits the head positioners movement to hold the head positioner assembly in an orientation where the heads can be effectively parked without damaging the recording media.

Crash stop and magnetic latch for a voice coil actuator

Resiliently mounted crash stop and magnetic latch for a voice coil

An improved flexure mounting arrangement for a disc drive system having a head positioning apparatus located within a housing for locating a plurality of magnetic read/write heads relatvie to recording media disposed within the housing. The mounting system includes one or more flexure mounts each having a base, a pair of attachment arms each having a screwhole extending longitudinally therethrough and a flexure support pad. The attachment arms extend from opposite sides of the base and are substantially symmetrical about the longitudinal axis of the flexure. A pair of longitudinally extending screws may thus be used to secure the flexure mount to the head positioning apparatus. The flexure support pad is thinner than the base and extends distally therefrom. The top and bottom surfaces of the support pad are adapted to engage separate flexures, thereby allowing the flexure mount to support one or two flexures independently of any other flexures within the disc drive.

Flexure mount for disc drives

An improved pivot mechanism for a disc drive system incorporating a rotary actuator. The disc drive system has a head positioning apparatus located within a housing for positioning a plurality of read/write heads relative to a recording media located within the housing. The head positioner assembly includes a pivot housing that is journaled about a pivot mechanism to rotatably coupled the head positioning assembly to the disc drive housing. The pivot mechanism includes a fixed pivot shaft that is supported by the drive housing on both ends and a pair of spaced apart bearings having outer races that are bonded to the pivot housing. The inner bearing races are bonded to the fixed shaft. The outer bearig races are adhesively bonded to the pivot housing under a predetermined preload maintained by a spacer and a pair of Belleville washers that push outward on the outer race during bonding. The pivot shaft and the pivot housing are both fabricated from the same material to minimize preloading variation during adhesive bonding of the outer races. The pivot shaft maintains a constant diameter between the bearings to maximize stiffness.

Growing community of inventors

Aptos, CA, United States of America

Terence H West