Quantum Corporation

Plus Development Corporation

Dade Behring Inc.

Dade International Inc.

Thomas R Stone

William G Moon

William N Thanos

Bruce R Peterson

Donald C Westwood

Ted S Geiselman

Sourav K Kundu

Stephen Schoenberg

Joshua Lindsay

Roy Ostgaard

Joel N Harrison

Thomas A Tacklind

Randolph H Graham

Peter S Hahn

Tom L Lee

David W Foster

Misha I Rozenberg

Lou Pace

An aerodynamically powered release latch mechanism is provided for a fixed disk drive. A disk clamp for clamping a single data storage disk to a spindle hub comprises a centrifugal airflow pumping structure, such as radially and axially extending, generally L-shaped turboblades, for increasing the level of a vane deflecting airflow as the disk rotates. The vane deflecting airflow releases an aerodynamically released actuator latch mechanism.

Airflow generator spindle hub for aerodynamically released shipping

The present invention provides novel test cartridges for use in the assay of liquid samples and methods of carrying out such assays. These test cartridges are particularly useful in assays which include at least one step during which the sample to be assayed and one or more components of the assay system are kept separated by a pierceable member. The test cartridges comprise a housing through which the sample flows during the assay. The housing includes a holding chamber for holding the sample and a test chamber separated by a pierceable member having a cut therein. The test chamber further includes a partition member which has an opening therethrough and includes at least one reagent for the assay. A transfer member movably mounted in the test chamber can move towards and pierce the pierceable member by moving through the cut and contact the liquid sample in the holding chamber. When the transfer member has been moved towards and pierces the pierceable member to contact the liquid sample and a negative pressure is created in the test chamber, liquid sample moves through the transfer member, into the test chamber and through the opening in the partition member.

Combination reagent holding and test device

An airlock latch assembly for restraining a disk drive actuator when the disk is not spinning and the disk drive is subjected to a rotational shock force includes a latch member meshably engaged with a counter inertia member by gear teeth provided on each member. The latch member and the counter inertia member are each characterized by a moment of inertia, the ratio of which is determined by the gear ratio of the respective gear teeth. The latch assembly also restrains the actuator in its proper position when the disk drive is subject to linear shock forces.

Counter balanced rotary airlock actuator latch assembly for disk drive

An expandable gasket for a head disk assembly, wherein the gasket is initially formed having a geometry that maximizes the number of gaskets realized per sheet of material used. The gasket includes a series of spaced-apart thinned pivot regions and is expanded from an initial relatively closed, material-saving geometry to a second, open geometry dimensioned to be disposed between a top cover and a base of a disk drive. In addition, the transformation from first to second geometries is accomplished without stretching, distorting, buckling or tearing the elongate pivot regions.

Expandable gasket for a head disk assembly of a disk drive

An improved actuator apparatus is employed in a hard disk drive device for positioning read/write heads over tracks on a data storage disk of the disk drive. The actuator apparatus includes an all plastic C-block assembly providing the actuator apparatus with a reduced weight, lower inertia and better damping characteristic which enable improved dynamic performance. The C-block assembly includes a body portion and a pair of tapered support arms extending from the body portion in a parallel orientation. The support arms each have a suspension for a read/write head staked thereto within a mounting surface aperture at a distal end of the arm. The mounting surface aperture is configured to have a non-circular shape to facilitate staking of the read/write head to the support arm and enable construction of the C-block assembly out of plastic. The non-circular shape of the mounting surface aperture additionally enables swaging within the aperture of the plastic support without causing the plastic support arm to break or crack.

Actuator apparatus with plastic C-block

The present invention provides novel test cartridges for use in the assay of liquid samples and methods of carrying out such assays. These test cartridges are particularly useful in assays which include at least one step during which the sample to be assayed and one or more components of the assay system are kept separated by a pierceable member. The test cartridges comprise a housing through which the sample flows during the assay. The housing includes a holding chamber for holding the sample and a test chamber separated by a pierceable member. The test chamber further includes a partition member which has an opening therethrough and includes at least one reagent for the assay. A transfer member movably mounted in the test chamber can move towards and pierce the pierceable member and contact the liquid sample in the holding chamber. When the transfer member has been moved towards and pierces the pierceable member to contact the liquid sample and a negative pressure is created in the test chamber, liquid sample moves through the transfer member, into the test chamber and through the opening in the partition member.

A disk drive includes at least one reference track having a plurality of sectors which are read and averaged in order to compensate for spindle offset. The disk drive has a head position servo system controls a head position actuator and includes a polyphase optical encoder which is initially calibrated by reference to dark current values and recalibrated periodically by reference to the reference track. Preferably, at least two reference tracks are located at the extremes of the radial displacement of the actuator so that variations in gap dimension between a scale mounted to the actuator and a fixed reticle-mask over a photodetector array of the encoder may be measured and compensated for. The method for initializing the drive and for periodically updating its calibration of the encoder and the head position servo is also described.

Head position recalibration for disk drive

A micro-Winchester disk drive subsystem includes a data block sequencer, cache memory and interface for a host computing machine. The drive includes a base and a plurality of non-removable directly rotated disks forming data storage surfaces. A balanced rotary head transducer actuator is mounted to the base for a plurality of data transducer heads among a multiplicity of concentric data tracks formed on each data storage surface of each of the disks. The track following servo system includes a position encoder coupled between the actuator structure and the base, prerecorded data track centerline information at a radially outermost region and at a radially innermost region of each data surface, and a temperature sensor for sensing temperature of the base at the vicinity of the position encoder. An actuator driver circuit is connected to supply electrical driving current to the actuator structure; and, a single, time divided multi-tasked digital including an analog to digital converter is connected to receive the position information from the position encoder, centerline information from the disk surfaces read by the data transducer and temperature sensed by the temperature sensor during a calibration operation in one phase of its operational cycle, the other phase being devoted to supervision data block handling functions of disk drive data block sequencer cache memory and interface. During track following operations, centerline information is derived from information obtained in the calibrate operation. The temperature sensor is periodically checked and recalibration is carried out when drive temperature changes.

Head position control system for fixed drive including position encoder,

A micro-Winchester disk drive subsystem includes a data block sequencer, cache memory and interface for a host computing machine. The drive includes a base and a plurality of non-removable directly rotated disks forming data storage surfaces. A balanced rotary head transducer actuator is mounted to the base for a plurality of data transducer heads among a multiplicity of concentric data tracks formed on each data storage surface of each of the disks. The track following servo system includes a position encoder coupled between the actuator structure and the base, prerecorded data track centerline information at a radially outermost region and at a radially innermost region of each data surface, and a temperature sensor for sensing temperature of the base at the vicinity of the position encoder. An actuator driver circuit is connected to supply electrical driving current to the actuator structure; and, a single, time divided multi-tasked digital including an analog to digital converter is connected to receive the position information from the position encoder, centerline information from the disk surfaces read by the data transducer and temperature sensed by the temperature sensor during a calibration operation in one phase of its operational cycle, and other phase being devoted to supervision data block handling functions of disk drive data block sequencer cache memory and interface. During track following operations, centerline information is derived from information obtained in the calibrate operation. The temperature sensor is periodically checked and recalibration is carried out when drive temperature changes.

High performance, high capacity micro-winchester disk drive

A compact, sealed head and disk assembly for a rotating non-removable disk data storage subsystem includes a flat and thin rigid generally rectangular box housing having a length not greater than approximately 173 millimeters, a width not greater than approximately 102 millimeters and a height not greater than approximately 24.5 millimeters,; a thin spindle motor mounted within the form factor of the housing; at least one magnetic media data storage disk having a diameter of approximately 95 millimeters in the housing and mounted directly to the spindle for rotation; a limited angular displacement rotary actuator subassembly including a substantially planar limited displacement rotary actuator motor; and, a cover for closing and sealing the housing.

Compact head and disk assembly

A compact, sealed head and disk assembly for a rotating non-removable disk data storage subsystem includes a flat and thin rigid generally rectangular box housing; a thin spindle motor mounted within the form factor of the housing; a magnetic media data storage disk in the housing and mounted directly to the spindle for rotation; a limited angular displacement rotary actuator subassembly including a substantially planar limited displacement rotary actuator motor; and a cover for closing and sealing the housing.

Thin and compact micro-Winchester head and disk assembly

A compact polyphase optical encoder subassembly for installation in host equipment is disclosed. The subassembly includes a moveable scale; and, a unitized rotatable housing for aligning a light source, a mask and a photodetector array having at least a pair of photodetector areas symmetrically disposed about an axis of rotation of the housing and responsive to light energy from the light source in further response to relative position of the scale. The housing further includes in its preferred form a bolt having a widened head and a threaded shank for passing through an opening in a base of the host, a threaded nut engageable with the shank opposite to the head for thereby securing the bolt to the base, and a compressible washer for enabling a predetermined range of vertical compression between the head and the base as the nut is tightened on said shaft. The housing further includes a light source holder which in preferred form comprises a central support, a reflective surface in optical alignment with the photodetector array and being aligned and supported by the central support, and a lateral arm spaced away from the central support, the lateral arm for holding the light source in optical alignment with the reflective surface, whereby the subassembly may be made very compact in terms of height and still provide a substantial distance between the light source and the mask, thereby minimizing penumbra effects.

Compact polyphase optical position encoder

An improved optical encoder is disclosed. The encoder includes a moveable scale with alternating equally dimensioned opaque and translucent regions extending generally perpendicular to the locus of scale movement; and a light source, a mask and a rectangular photodetector array having at least a pair of generally symmetrical, rectangular photodetector areas, the longitudinal dimensions of those areas being disposed relative to the regions of the scale at a predetermined acute angle of rotation. The mask defines at least two series of equally spaced apart elongated phase shifted openings aligned to be generally parallel with the regions of the scale, the mask openings being aligned at the same angle of rotation as the major lineal dimensions of the photodetector areas. The mask openings are substantially coextensive with the rectangular photodetector areas. The light source, mask and photodetector array are commonly mounted on a single axis of rotation in a rotatable stationary housing. Rotation of the housing provides a smooth bilateral electrical phase trim; and, the improved encoder uses a rectangular photodetector array of the minimum effective size.

Optical encoder which use a rectangular photodetector array

An optical encoder having controllable lead lag phase trim sensitivity includes a light source, and a pair of coplanar photodetectors adjacent each another for generating phased electrical signals in response to light energy generated by the light source. A scale between the light source and photodetectors has alternating opaque and translucent regions extending substantially perpendicular to a locus of relative movement. A reticle has alternating opaque and translucent regions parallel to the regions of the scale so that relative movement of the scale and reticle alternately blocks and transmits light to the pair of photodetectors which put out phased electrical signals indicative of relative position and direction of movement of the scale and reticle. A substantially lineal light blocking zone formed on the reticle is arranged at a predetermined acute rotational angle relative to the locus of relative movement between the scale and reticle. A mechanism is provided for relatively rotating the scale and reticle about the centroid of said light blocking zone in order to adjust lead and lag trim of the phased electrical signals relative to a nominal phase difference, such as quadrature. The sensitivity of lead and lag trim is controlled by the particular acute rotational angle selected for the light blocking zone.

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San Francisco, CA, United States of America

Thomas R Stone