The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Sep. 12, 2006
Filed:
Aug. 17, 2004
Hideki Kuwajima, Kyoto, JP;
Kaoru Matsuoka, Osaka, JP;
Hideki Kuwajima, Kyoto, JP;
Kaoru Matsuoka, Osaka, JP;
Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd., Osaka, JP;
Abstract
A load beam is attached to an actuator arm that is allowed to rock around a pivotal axis by a voice coil motor, etc., as a slider supporting member, the base end of a flexure is attached to the load beam with the free end thereof being left, a slider supporting member is attached to the top portion of the flexure, a slider on which a recording/reproduction head is installed is secured to the slider supporting member, and the slider supporting member is supported by a protrusion placed on the free end side of the load beam so as to be freely pivot thereon. Portions of the flexure corresponding to both of the sides of this protrusion are constituted by elastic hinge portions, each having a necked shape. A pair of thin-film piezoelectric elements are bonded to the flexure as displacement members. In a tracking compensation operation of the head, forces are exerted on the slider supporting member through the elastic hinge portion by extending and contracting operations of the pair of thin-film piezoelectric elements so that the slider is allowed to pivot around the protrusion of the load beam serving as the center of pivotal movements, together with the slider supporting member.