Nhk Spring Co., Ltd.

Toshiki Ando

Masao Hanya

Kenichi Takikawa

Tatsuhiko Nishida

Hideki Fuchino

Tsutomu Fukuda

Emi Sugimoto

Masaru Inoue

Hideki Kashima

Noriyuki Saito

Takumi Karasawa

Chihiro Kono

Hidenori Ogawa

Jun Soga

Osamu Okawara

Naoki Moriya

Ryoichi Tazawa

Seiji Yamashita

A sag bend portion is formed in a longitudinal part of the load beam and bent in a thickness direction. The load beam includes a first portion and a second portion bordering the sag bend portion. Roots of outrigger portions are secured to the load beam by weld portions. A slit portion is formed around each of the weld portions. The slit portion includes an arc-shaped slit and a pair of extension slits. An outrigger support portion is formed inside the slit portion. The outrigger support portion extends in a direction different from that of the second portion of the load beam with respect to a cross section along the longitudinal direction of the load beam in the thickness direction.

Disk drive suspension including a weld portion securing a load beam and flexure and supporting a root of a flexure outrigger

A slider and microactuator elements are arranged on a gimbal portion of a flexure. A conducting member includes tongue conductive circuit portions, and unsupported conductive circuit portions which do not overlap with a metal base. The unsupported conductive circuit portions are disposed between arms of an outrigger portion. Bendable portions for reducing bending stiffness are formed in the unsupported conductive circuit portions, respectively. End portions of the microactuator elements are secured to supporting portions of a tongue, respectively. Each of bridge members is provided between the corresponding supporting portion of the tongue and the corresponding unsupported conductive circuit portion.

Disk drive suspension

A slider and microactuator elements are disposed on a gimbal portion of a flexure. A tongue of the gimbal portion has a first tongue portion, a second tongue portion, and a hinge portion. A leading-side portion of the slider is movably disposed on the first tongue portion. A trailing-side portion of the slider is secured to the second tongue portion. The hinge portion is formed between the first tongue portion and the second tongue portion. The gimbal portion is provided with a damper member includes a viscoelastic material layer and a constrained plate. The damper member comprises a first damper and a second damper. The hinge portion is exposed between the first damper and the second damper. A dimple on a load beam contacts the hinge portion at a point of contact.

Disk drive suspension with microactuator elements on respective slider sides and damper member on gimbal portion away from dimple

A slider and microactuator elements are disposed on a gimbal portion of a flexure. A first end portion of each of the elements is secured to a first supporting portion. A second end portion is secured to a second supporting portion. A ground-side conductor is provided on the second supporting portion. A limiter member consists mainly of a resin shared with an insulating layer of a conductive circuit portion. The limiter member comprises a grounding junction, a first bridge portion, and a second bridge portion. The grounding junction is secured to the second supporting portion. The first bridge portion extends in a first direction from the grounding junction. The second bridge portion extends in a second direction from the grounding junction.

A slider and a pair of microactuator elements are disposed on a gimbal portion of a flexure. The gimbal portion comprises a first tongue portion, a second tongue portion, and a hinge portion. A trailing-side portion of the slider is secured to the second tongue portion. A leading-side portion of the slider is movable relative to the first tongue portion. A conductive circuit portion comprises a conductor connected to an element of the slider and a conductor connected to electrodes of microactuator elements. The conductive circuit portion comprises a first wiring pattern portion disposed inside microactuator elements and a second wiring pattern portion extending rearwardly relative to the gimbal portion.

A head suspensionhas a piezoelectric elementthat deforms in response to a voltage applied thereto, a base platehaving an attaching part to which the piezoelectric elementis attached, and a load beamhaving a flexure. A front end of the load beammoves in a sway direction according to the deformation of the piezoelectric element. The head suspensionincludes adhesives that attach the piezoelectric elementto the attaching part. The adhesives are applied to and hardened at the attaching part one by one. At least one of the adhesives that is first applied to and hardened at the attaching part is electrically insulative. The head suspensionproperly maintains electric insulation between the piezoelectric elementand the attaching part, sufficiently demonstrates original functions, and secures a rigidity balance and proper vibration characteristic.

Head suspension with piezoelectric element support having electrically insulative adhesive layer

A slider and a microactuator element are disposed on a gimbal portion of a flexure. The gimbal portion comprises a metal base, an electrically insulating resin layer, a conductor disposed on the resin layer, an electrically insulating adhesive block, and an electrically conductive paste. The adhesive block secures an end portion of the microactuator element to the metal base. The conductive paste is provided between the conductor and an electrode of the microactuator element. A first adhesive interface extending along the thickness of the resin layer, a second adhesive interface extending along a surface of the resin layer, and a corner portion are formed between the metal base and the conductive paste.

Disk drive suspension with interface intersection corner formed between insulating resin layer and adhesive block

A microactuator element is disposed on a gimbal portion of a flexure. A first end of the element is secured to a first supporting portion by a first insulating adhesive. A second end is secured to a second supporting portion by a second insulating adhesive. A first conductor is disposed on the first supporting portion. A second conductor on the ground side is disposed on the second supporting portion. A first electrode is disposed on a first end of the element. A first electrically conductive paste is provided between the first electrode and the first conductor. A second electrode is disposed on a second end of the element. A second electrically conductive paste is provided between the second electrode and the second conductor.

A gimbal portion of a flexure is provided with first supporting portions to which first end portions of microactuator elements are secured and second supporting portions to which second end portions are secured. A first tongue portion is formed between the pair of first supporting portions. A leading-side portion of a slider is movably disposed on the first tongue portion. A second tongue portion is formed between the pair of second supporting portions. A trailing-side portion of the slider is secured to the second tongue portion. A narrow hinge portion is formed between the first and second tongue portions. The tongue portions are pivotably connected by the hinge portion. The distal end of a dimple contacts the hinge portion at a point of contact.

Disk drive suspension in which a pivot center of a slider can be matched with a position of a supporting protrusion when a microactuator element is driven

A method for accurately and speedy analyzing vibration property of head suspension including a piezoelectric element that moves a head according to voltage application. The method comprises a displacement obtaining step obtaining displacement of each node point of the piezoelectric element by voltage application to the piezoelectric element, a reaction force obtaining step eliminating the voltage application and applying the obtained displacement to each node point, a reaction force applying step eliminating the applied displacement and applying obtained reaction force to each node point, and an analyzing step performing the frequency response analysis by using mode superposition method.

Method for analyzing vibration property of member including piezoelectric element

Head suspension and method of manufacturing head suspension

A head suspension has a load beam and a piezoelectric actuator, the actuator base being connected to the base part of the load beam and having at least an opening. A nonconductive adhesive applied at least between the circumferential edge of the opening and a circumferential side face of the piezoelectric element and between a bottom receiver and the bottom face of the piezoelectric element is configured to adhere the piezoelectric element to the opening.

Head suspension including a piezoelectric element adhesively mounted within an opening of an actuator base

A head suspension has a base plate, a load beam, and a piezoelectric element that is centrally located and deforms in response to applied power to precisely move a front end of the load beam. The head suspension includes an opening formed in the base plate to receive the piezoelectric element and a support member joined with the base plate, partly protruding into the opening, and configured to support an electrode of the piezoelectric element. The support member includes a pair of integral supports to support the electrode, and a pair of integral support links to connect the supports to each other outside the piezoelectric element.

Head suspension including integral piezoelectric element electrode support member

A microactuator mounting section is disposed between a base section and a load beam. A microactuator element formed of a piezoelectric element is contained in an element accommodation portion in a plate portion. The plate portion has a stationary part secured to the base section and a movable part secured to the load beam. The stationary part and the movable part are connected to each other by a pair of arm portions. Each arm portion comprises a first extending portion and a second extending portion. The first extending portion extends longitudinally relative to the load beam from a front end of the stationary part toward the movable part. The second extending portion extends transversely inward relative to the plate portion from the first extending portion so as to be continuous with the movable part.

Disk drive suspension having a microactuator mounting section

A piezoelectric element with electrode is capable of preventing an assembling error. The piezoelectric element includes a piezoelectric body configured to deform according to polarity in response to a voltage applied thereto, electrodes formed on surfaces of the piezoelectric body, respectively, a non-electrode part formed on at least one of the surfaces of the piezoelectric body, the non-electrode part continuing to the one electrode that is on the at least one surface of the piezoelectric body, and a boundary between the non-electrode part and the one electrode. The boundary has a pattern to indicate the polarity of the piezoelectric element.

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Aikoh-gun, Japan

Toshiki Ando