Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.

Zhisheng Deng

Hideki Kuwajima

Yoshihiro Ueno

Hideyuki Hashi

Mitsuhisa Yoshimura

A head suspension assembly includes a head, a load beam carrying the head at one end, a resilient member joining the load beam and a carriage, and a pivot bearing provided between the load beam and the carriage and structured so that the load beam is movable in a direction perpendicular to a record medium so that the load beam rocks. The head suspension assembly is structured so that the resilient member has narrow sections for reducing the width of the resilient member to a width smaller than that of both ends of the resilient member that are symmetrical with respect to a centerline of the resilient member. The distal end of the resilient member is joined to the carriage and the resilient member has an opening (hole) in the center thereof. This structure provides a highly shock-resistant and thin head suspension assembly.

Head suspension assembly and disk drive using the same

A head slider is designed to prevent collision against a surface of a disk due to an external impact and the like while a device is in use to avoid damages on an air bearing surface ('ABS') of the head slider and the surface the disk. This is achieved by a structure of the head slider which produces a large positive pressure on a positive dynamic pressure generating section when the head slider comes close to the disk. More specifically, the ABS of the head slider comprises three surfaces of different positional heights, and the positive dynamic pressure generating section having a height equivalent to a mid level surface of the second highest position is provided on a portion of the head slider made of a material of high brittleness at each of locations near both side edges lateral to a tracking width of a magnetic head. In addition, a head mounting pad bearing the magnetic head is so configured that a boundary between a high level surface in the highest position and a mid level surface is asymmetrical with respect to the lateral center of the head slider in a direction of the tracking width of the magnetic head.

Head slider with positive dynamic pressure generating section

A head suspension assembly includes (a) a slider having a head for recording into/reproducing from a record medium, mounted thereon, (b) a load beam having (i) the slider disposed via a flexure at one end, and (ii) a leaf-spring-like resilient member integrally formed therewith in the vicinity of the other end along the longitudinal centerline thereof, and (c) a carriage having a pair of pivots in contact with the load beam. The distal end of the resilient member is joined to the carriage and the resilient member has an opening (hole) in the center thereof. Because the stress occurring in the leaf-spring-like resilient member that is provided in the load beam of the head suspension assembly is reduced, the resilient member exerts sufficient urging force to the head and has high flexibility. This structure can provide a highly shock-resistant and thin head suspension assembly.

A head support device is thin and assures excellent flexibility and shock resistance while applying a sufficient load to a head. A disk drive uses the head support device. The head support device comprises a support arm, a head disposed at one end of the support arm, which is mounted on a head slider so as to be opposed to a recording medium, an elastic member such as a plate spring which provides the support arm an activating force in a direction perpendicular to the recording medium when the support arm comes to a rotational center in vertical rotation against the recording medium, and a holder connected to the elastic member. When an external impact force is applied to the head slider, with a distance from an action point of load that activates the head slider toward the recording medium to an immovable point in the rotation of the head slider in a direction of pitch being Lo, and a length of head slider in a direction of air flow being Ls, then 0.5&#x3c;Lo&#x3c;Ls&#x3c;2.

Apparatus with head and head support device having rotation supporting point

A flying head slider includes a first air bearing having plural step-faces and being prepared on a base surface at air inflow side, and a second air bearing being prepared on the base surface at air outflow side. The upper most surface of the second air bearing is lower than the upper most surface of the first air bearing.

Flying head slider with air bearing step face arrangement

A head supporting assembly has high flexibility, while applying a necessary and sufficient pressing force to a head, is excellent in shock resistance, and provides a stabilized pressing force not affected by manufacturing variations, and a head driving assembly and a disk drive apparatus use such head supporting assembly. The head supporting assembly is configured to have a base arm provided with a rotation-supporting portion for supporting a head supporting member for rotation in a direction toward and away from a disk surface and a resilient member having one end thereof connected to an end of a supporting arm and the other end connected to the base arm. The rotation-supporting portion of the base arm is provided at such a position that a head mount is allowed to be displaced relative thereto by pressing of the rotation-supporting portion in the pressing direction.

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Moriguchi, Japan

Zhisheng Deng