| Class / Patent application number | Description | Number of patent applications / Date published |
|---|
| 360294100 | Adjustment parallel to disk plane | 70 |
| 20110242707 | HARD DISK DRIVE - A hard disk drive includes a magnetic head to write data to a disk by magnetizing the disk using a leakage magnetic flux that leaks in a disk direction through a write gap provided between a write pole to apply a magnetic field to the disk and a shield provided separately from the write pole, and an actuator arm allowing the magnetic head to pivot over the disk. In the hard disk drive, the write gap is asymmetrically formed to a left and a right with respect to a center axis line of the write pole according to a movement direction of the magnetic head when the magnetic head pivots over the disk. | 10-06-2011 |
| 20120014017 | SUSPENSION SUBSTRATE, SUSPENSION, HEAD SUSPENSION, HARD DISK DRIVE, METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING SUSPENSION SUBSTRATE, AND METHOD FOR TESTING CONTINUITY OF SUSPENSION - A suspension substrate according the present invention includes: an insulating layer; a metallic support layer provided on the actuator element's side of the insulating layer. A wiring layer is provided on the other side of the insulating layer. This wiring layer includes a plurality of wirings and a wiring connection section that can be electrically connected with the actuator element via a conductive adhesive. A conductive connection section extending through the insulating layer and configured to connecting the metallic support layer with the wiring connection section of the wiring layer is provided in the connection structure region. | 01-19-2012 |
| 20120212860 | MAGNETO-RESISTIVE EFFECT ELEMENT HAVING SPACER LAYER INCLUDING GALLIUM OXIDE LAYER WITH METAL ELEMENT - A magneto-resistive effect (MR) element includes: first and second magnetic layers in which a relative angle formed by magnetization directions changes according to an external magnetic field; and a spacer layer positioned between the first magnetic layer and the second magnetic layer. The spacer layer includes a main spacer layer composed of gallium oxide as a primary component and containing at least one metal element selected from a group of magnesium, zinc, indium and aluminum. | 08-23-2012 |
| 20130286512 | TERMINAL WITH TERMINAL BENDER HAVING STABLE BEND, WIRING MEMBER, AND HEAD SUSPENSION - A terminal includes a terminal wiring part extending from a flexure and having an insulating layer and a wiring layer formed on the insulating layer, a terminal main part formed at a front end of the terminal wiring part and connected to a piezoelectric element arranged to face the terminal main part, and a terminal bender that is made of a supportive metal layer, is arranged along a part of the terminal wiring part in an extending direction thereof, and is plastically deformed to form a bend in the part of the terminal wiring part so as to bring the terminal main part closer to the piezoelectric element. | 10-31-2013 |
| 360294200 | Linear adjustment | 1 |
| 20160042752 | APPARATUS, SYSTEMS AND PROCESSES FOR REDUCING A HARD DISK DRIVE'S ACCESS TIME AND CONCOMITANT POWER OPTIMIZATION - Rotational latency is reduced in a standard conventional form factor HDD system by replacing, for example—the prior art rotary arm actuator of a conventional HDD, with one or more belts and pulleys and one or more read/write heads mounted on, or otherwise associated with the belts. Multiple scaled iterations facilitate energy savings and power optimized systems, without compromise to data access performance. | 02-11-2016 |
| 360294300 | Driver detail | 61 |
| 20110242708 | ELECTRONIC APPARATUS AND DISK DRIVE SUSPENSION - A microactuator element as an example of an electrical component is disposed on a metallic, electrically conductive plate member. A conductive resin member is disposed on a current-carrying part of the conductive plate member and a conduction part of the microactuator element. A thin porous plating layer of thickness 100 nm or less includes a large number of gold particles is formed in a region of a surface of the conductive plate member which covers the current-carrying part. The conductive resin member is secured to the conductive plate member through the thin porous gold plating layer and electrically connected to the conductive plate member. | 10-06-2011 |
| 20140198412 | CO-LOCATED GIMBAL-BASED DUAL STAGE ACTUATION DISK DRIVE SUSPENSIONS - Various embodiments concern a suspension having a DSA structure on a gimbaled flexure. The suspension comprises a loadbeam and flexure attached thereto. The flexure comprises a pair of spring arms, a tongue located between the spring arms and structurally supported by the pair of spring arms, and a pair of struts. The struts are positioned respectively between the pair of spring arms and the tongue. The longitudinal axes of the struts are offset with respect to each other. The suspension further comprises a slider and a motor mounted on the flexure. The motor has a longitudinal axis that is parallel with the axes of the struts and perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the loadbeam. Electrical activation of the motor bends the pair of struts to move the slider. | 07-17-2014 |
| 20150055254 | CO-LOCATED GIMBAL-BASED DUAL STAGE ACTUATION DISK DRIVE SUSPENSIONS WITH OFFSET MOTORS - Various embodiments concern a dual stage actuation suspension that comprises a loadbeam having a load point projection. The suspension further comprises a gimbal assembly having a point of contact that is in contact with the load point projection such that the gimbal assembly can gimbal about the load point projection. The gimbal assembly is cantilevered from the loadbeam and has an axis of rotation aligned with the load point projection and the point of contact. The suspension further comprises a pair of motors mounted on the gimbal assembly and positioned proximal of the point of contact. The pair of motors is mounted between a tongue and a pair of spring arms to rotate the tongue about the point of contact and the load point projection. The loadbeam further comprises a void into which the pair of motors extends. | 02-26-2015 |
| 20160104503 | LOW RESISTANCE GROUND JOINTS FOR DUAL STAGE ACTUATION DISK DRIVE SUSPENSIONS - A stainless steel dual stage actuated disk drive head suspension baseplate including a plated electrical contact area having nickel and gold. The baseplate can be heat treated. The nickel and gold can be in a mixture. | 04-14-2016 |
| 360294400 | Piezoelectric adjuster | 50 |
| 20080198511 | Suspension for a hard disk drive microactuator - A disk drive flexure is provided. The disk drive flexure includes a first surface for coupling with a microactuator, the microactuator comprising a moving portion and a stationary portion wherein the moving portion and the stationary portion are integrated within a substrate and wherein the stationary portion is coupled to the first surface by an adhesive. The disk drive flexure further includes a spacer portion for maintaining a distance between the microactuator and the flexure such that the moving portion does not contact the flexure and wherein the spacer portion prevents the adhesive from contacting the moving portion of the microactuator. | 08-21-2008 |
| 20080297948 | Suspension, head gimbal assembly and manufacturing method thereof, and disk drive unit with the same - A suspension for a HGA includes a flexure having a tongue region and an out trigger. The out trigger has a pair of rigid beams and a pair of spring beams. The pair of spring beams enables the flexure to possess favorable flexibility and assists a slider to have enough displacement. The pair of rigid beams provides the flexure enough stiffness which not only successfully prevents the HGA with the out trigger from suspension deformation and dimple separation, but also assists to improve shock performance of the HGA. Furthermore, such configuration of the suspension provides the slider a good static performance and thus improves dynamic performance of the HGA. The present invention also discloses a HGA with the suspension, a manufacturing method of the HGA, and a drive unit with such HGA. | 12-04-2008 |
| 20080297949 | Head slider - When a piezoelectric element is deformed in the direction of decreasing a flying height, a pressure at a trailing pad increases, and the flying height of a magnetic head is not efficiently decreased and may be increased conversely in some occasions. | 12-04-2008 |
| 20090027808 | Performance test method of head gimbal assembly with precise positioning micro-actuator - A method of testing a performance of a HGA including a magnetic head and a micro-actuator for precisely positioning the magnetic head with respect to a magnetic medium is disclosed. The key of the method is to obtain three track center values under conditions of no driving the micro-actuator, driving the micro-actuator in a positive direction using an operating DC voltage, and driving the micro-actuator in a negative direction using the operating DC voltage respectively, and finally do calculation of the three track center values, thus successfully obtains the displacement performance of the micro-actuator in a simple way. The method is capable of testing the HGA's performance under lower operating voltage by moving the slider by a predetermined distance toward an off-track direction, which accordingly assists to identify three track center values and thereby ensures the method an accurate measurement. | 01-29-2009 |
| 20090034128 | Method and apparatus for independent piezoelectric excitation in the micro-actuator assemblies of a hard disk drive for improved drive reliability - A hard disk drive using a micro-actuator assembly to position a slider over a track on a rotating disk surface. The micro-actuator assembly includes a first piezoelectric device and a second piezoelectric device, both mechanically coupled to the slider. The first piezoelectric device includes a first terminal electrically coupled to a first voltage line and a second terminal electrically coupled to a ground line. The second piezoelectric device includes a third terminal electrically coupled to a ground line and a fourth terminal electrically coupled to a voltage line. A voltage applied to the first voltage line stimulates only the first piezoelectric device to alter a lateral position of the slider over the rotating disk surface, and a second voltage applied to the second voltage line stimulates only the second piezoelectric device to alter the lateral position of the slider over the rotating disk surface. | 02-05-2009 |
| 20090080116 | Microactuator,head gimbal assembly, and magnetic disk drive - Embodiments of the present invention help to suppress reduction of the operation quantity of a microactuator. According to one embodiment, a microactuator comprises a silicon substrate and a piezoelectric element. The silicon substrate has some rigidity and provides elastic counter force to the piezoelectric element. In the piezoelectric element a secondary piezoelectric layer is laminated on a primary piezoelectric layer opposite from the silicon substrate. The contraction force of the secondary piezoelectric layer acts on the primary piezoelectric layer so that it bends toward the secondary piezoelectric layer opposite from the silicon substrate. When the primary piezoelectric layer expands, the contraction force of the secondary piezoelectric layer acts on the primary piezoelectric layer so that it warps against the primary piezoelectric layer. | 03-26-2009 |
| 20090080117 | Magnetic disk apparatus - A head support mechanism includes a head to read/write information, and an actuator for moving the head. Flanges are provided on opposite sides of a load beam of the head support mechanism, and at least one recessed portion is provided on the load beam. A thickness of the load beam at the at least one recessed portion is smaller than a thickness at other portions of the load beam at least one of oscillation damping material and an IC circuit is arranged in the at least one recessed portion. | 03-26-2009 |
| 20090086378 | Pure rotary microactuator - A pure rotary microactuator comprising a spring assembly etched within a silicon substrate is disclosed. A first piezoelectric device is coupled with a first portion of the spring assembly and a second piezoelectric device coupled with a second portion of the spring assembly. The first piezoelectric device changes shape in response to an electrical input signal, and this change in shape provides a first push force to the first portion of the spring assembly in a first direction. The second piezoelectric device also changes shape in response to the electrical input signal, and this change in shape provides a second push force to the second portion in a second direction, which is different from the first direction. The combination of the first and the second push forces rotates the spring assembly with respect to the silicon substrate. | 04-02-2009 |
| 20090086379 | Head suspension and piezoelectric actuator - A head suspension with a piezoelectric element involves simple wiring and realizes high reliability, the head suspension has a base plate, a load beam connected to the base plate, a flexure attached to the load beam, and a piezoelectric actuator having a piezoelectric element arranged between the base plate and the load beam, the piezoelectric element is configured to deform according to a state of applied voltage and move a front end of the load beam in a sway direction according to the deformation, and the piezoelectric element has first and second piezoelectric parts that are oppositely polarized and deform according to a state of applied voltage, a common electrode formed over first surfaces of the first and second piezoelectric parts, a first electrode formed on a second surface of the first piezoelectric part, and a second electrode formed on a second surface of the second piezoelectric part. | 04-02-2009 |
| 20090135525 | Suspension, head gimbal assembly, and disk drive unit with the same - A suspension includes a flexure, a load beam, and a deformation-resistant plate positioned between the flexure and the load beam. The deformation-resistant plate has a holding plate portion for holding a slider through the flexure and a pair of beam portions. The beam portions each have a bent portion bent in a direction approximately perpendicular to the holding plate portion such that the deformation-resistant plate is configured into a three-dimensional structure. The three-dimensional structure of the deformation-resistant plate advantageously resists structural deformation, thus further enables the suspension to possess stable pitch and roll stiffness as well as small yaw stiffness. This not only assists the suspension to have good static performance and improved shock performance, but also assists the slider to rotate easily and to have desirable displacement when the micro-actuator is excited. The present invention also discloses a HGA with the suspension and a drive unit with such HGA. | 05-28-2009 |
| 20090147407 | Integrated flexure tongue micro-actuator - An integrated flexure tongue micro-actuator is disclosed. One embodiment provides a first arm on a first side of the flexure tongue, the first arm approximately perpendicular with the flexure tongue. In addition, a second arm is provided on a second side of the flexure tongue, the second arm approximately parallel with the first arm. At least one piezoelectric device is coupled with either the first arm or the second arm and a slider is disposed between and coupled with the first am and the second arm. | 06-11-2009 |
| 20090195938 | Piezoelectric micro-actuator, head gimbal assembly and its assembling method, and disk drive device with the same - A PZT micro-actuator for a head gimbal assembly includes a pair of separate PZT elements and each PZT element has a body and a plurality of electrical pads. The body has at least two electrode-piezoelectric combination layers laminated together. The at least two electrode-piezoelectric combination layers are physically connected with but electrically isolated from each other. Each electrode-piezoelectric combination layer has at least two of the electrical pads thereon. The electrical pads extend out from the body of the corresponding PZT element. All the electrical pads of each PZT element are offset a predetermined distance therebetween to be electrically isolated. The present invention also discloses a head gimbal assembly (HGA) with the PZT micro-actuator, an assembling method for the head gimbal assembly and a disk drive unit having such HGA. | 08-06-2009 |
| 20090219653 | HEAD SLIDER EQUIPPED WITH PIEZOELECTRIC ELEMENT - A head slider includes a slider substrate, an actuator provided in an end portion of the slider substrate and equipped with a piezoelectric element, and a magnetic head disposed on a side opposite to the slider substrate with interposition of the actuator. The piezoelectric element has piezoelectric bodies polarized along a first direction connecting the slider substrate and the magnetic head. The piezoelectric element has electrodes which apply an electric field to the piezoelectric bodies along a second direction intersecting the first direction. | 09-03-2009 |
| 20090244786 | SYSTEM, METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR FLEXURE-INTEGRATED MICROACTUATOR - A piezo in-tongue microactuator includes a suspension assembly with a flexure tongue. The tongue has two slots that accept piezo actuators. The tongue also has multiple hinge flexible elements that translate the extension and/or contraction of the piezo actuators into rotary motion of the recording head. This rotary motion is then used to precisely position the recording element over the desired track on the hard disk drive and permits higher track density to be achieved. | 10-01-2009 |
| 20090284871 | Head gimbal assembly and manufacturing method thereof, and disk drive device with the same - A HGA includes a suspension, a seed layer formed on a PZT holding region of a flexure of the suspension and a piezoelectric element deposited on the seed layer. The piezoelectric element is electrically connected with the suspension to form a PZT micro-actuator. The present invention simultaneously conducts the manufacture, mechanical assembly and electrical connection of the piezoelectric element and suspension, thus the present invention has simple operation process and short process time, high manufacture yield, sound mechanical, dynamic and static performance. In addition, the present invention firstly forms the seed layer on the flexure and secondly forms the piezoelectric element on the seed layer, wherein the seed layer is metallic material, metal oxide, non-metallic material, or inorganic salt, the seed layer enables to easily control the operation and assists to improve the performance of the HGA. Besides, the electrical connection between the piezoelectric element and the suspension could be performed by sputtering process, printing process, or plating process, thus the present invention has a less difficulty to operate and sound connection reliability. The present invention also discloses a method for manufacturing the HGA and a disk drive unit. | 11-19-2009 |
| 20090284872 | MAGNETIC HEAD SUPPORT AND MAGNETIC DISK DEVICE - A magnetic head support includes a slider on which a magnetic head is mounted; a suspension that supports the slider; and a pair of piezoelectric actuators that are arranged on sides of the slider other than a side on which the magnetic head is mounted so as to be opposed to each other. The piezoelectric actuators are fixed to the suspension and the slider, and cause the slider to undergo a rotational displacement. | 11-19-2009 |
| 20090290263 | Piezoelectric element and manufacturing method thereof, head gimbal assembly, and disk drive device with the same - A piezoelectric element comprises a first laminated structure body and a second laminated structure body. Side surfaces of the first and the second laminated structure bodies that are parallel to a laminating direction both have at least a portion etched to form a recess so that a step distance is formed between sides of the two adjacent electrode layers that are parallel to the laminating direction. The design of the step distance of the present invention increases insulation resistance between the two adjacent electrode layers on the opposite surfaces of the piezoelectric layer, lowers reject rate, and reduce manufacture cost. The first and the second laminated structure bodies are symmetrically laminated and bonded together, thus optimizing force balancing performance. The recess of the first and second laminated structure body may be filled with insulation resin, which also increases insulation resistance between the two adjacent electrode layers of the piezoelectric layer. The present invention also discloses a method of manufacturing a PZT element, a HGA with the PZT element and a disk drive unit having such HGA. | 11-26-2009 |
| 20100073824 | HEAD SUSPENSION - A head suspension | 03-25-2010 |
| 20100073825 | HEAD SUSPENSION - A head suspension has a piezoelectric element | 03-25-2010 |
| 20100097726 | COST REDUCED MICROACTUATOR SUSPENSION - An improved microactuator suspension is provided for use with high density storage media. The number of microactuator elements is reduced to one and placed perpendicularly to the longitudinal axis of the suspension arm to maximize the windage and resonance performance and minimize the microactuator's contribution to bending stiffness and the off track bending component. An improved electrical connection eliminates the requirement for a jumper. These improvements reduce cost by reducing part count and assembly complexity. | 04-22-2010 |
| 20100097727 | RECESSED BASE PLATE FOR DATA TRANSDUCER SUSPENSION - A suspension assembly with reduced total vertical thickness is provided for a data transducing system that includes a dual-stage actuation system for positioning a data transducer. A first structural element of the suspension assembly includes a plate portion and a boss tower that is connectable to a main actuator of the dual-stage actuation system. A second structural element of the suspension assembly includes a recess that receives the plate portion of the first structural element, an opening through which the boss tower extends for connection to the main actuator of the dual-stage actuation system, and a flexible region to which a microactuator element of the dual-stage actuation system is connected. The suspension assembly also includes a support structure connected to the flexible region of the second structural element that carries the data transducer, and an electrical circuit connection system for making electrical connections to the data transducer and to the microactuator of the dual-stage actuation system. | 04-22-2010 |
| 20100097728 | HEAD SUSPENSION ASSEMBLY AND STORAGE MEDIUM DRIVE APPARATUS - According to one embodiment, a head suspension assembly includes: a head slider; a fixed piece configured to be fixed to the head slider; a flexible long piece configured to extend from the fixed piece and to be connected to a head suspension; an arm piece configured to be connected to the head suspension at one end and slidably contact a surface of the head slider at other end; and a piezo element configured to be attached to the arm piece. | 04-22-2010 |
| 20100134928 | HEAD SUSPENSION ASSEMBLY AND STORAGE MEDIUM DRIVING APPARATUS - According to one embodiment, a head suspension assembly includes: a head slider; a fixed piece supported on a surface of a platy gimbal; a first arm configured to extend from the fixed piece, be connected to the head slider, and include a platy first flexible portion that extends, between the fixed piece and the head slider, along a first virtual plane perpendicular to the surface of the gimbal; a second arm configured to extend from the fixed piece, be connected to the head slider, and include a platy second flexible portion configured to extend along a second virtual plane that is perpendicular to the surface of the gimbal and that intersects with the first virtual plane at an intersection angle less than 180 degrees; a first piezoelectric element joined to the first flexible portion; and a second piezoelectric element joined to the second flexible portion. | 06-03-2010 |
| 20100165516 | ELECTRICAL CONNECTING STRUCTURE AND ELECTRICAL CONNECTING METHOD FOR PIEZOELECTRIC ELEMENT, PIEZOELECTRIC ACTUATOR, AND HEAD SUSPENSION - An electrical connecting structure for a piezoelectric element enables wiring to the piezoelectric element to be carried out without deteriorating the productivity and reliability of the piezoelectric element. The electrical connecting structure is formed by facing a common electrode of the piezoelectric element to a terminal that supplies power to the common electrode and by injecting a conductive adhesive into a through hole, which is formed substantially at the center of the piezoelectric element, from an opening of the through hole that is on the opposite side of the common electrode, thereby securing electrical connection between the terminal and the common electrode of the piezoelectric element. | 07-01-2010 |
| 20100177446 | MICROACTUATOR WITH SELF-ASSEMBLED MONOLAYER ENCAPSULANT - A microactuator comprises a mounting block, a head suspension, a compliant joint for connecting the mounting block to the head suspension, and a piezoelectric element for deforming the compliant joint in order to rotate the head suspension with respect to the mounting block. An encapsulant covers an exposed surface of the microactuator. The encapsulant comprises a self-assembled monolayer formed of an organosilicone or organosilane, where the self-assembled monolayer has a self-limiting thickness of one layer of a molecule. | 07-15-2010 |
| 20100195252 | ELECTRODE STRUCTURE OF PIEZOELECTRIC ELEMENT, METHOD OF FORMING ELECTRODE OF PIEZOELECTRIC ELEMENT, PIEZOELECTRIC ACTUATOR, AND HEAD SUSPENSION - An electrode structure of a piezoelectric element is provided. The piezoelectric element | 08-05-2010 |
| 20100246071 | HEAD SUSPENSION ASSEMBLY AND MAGNETIC DISK DRIVE - According to one embodiment, a head suspension assembly includes a load beam supporting a head, and a microactuator configured to swing the load beam. The microactuator includes two piezoelectric elements configured to undergo shear deformation when supplied with a voltage and juxtaposed in such a manner that respective shear deformations thereof are opposite in direction, a first electrode and a second electrode arranged so as to hold the piezoelectric elements therebetween, and a support plate joined to the first electrode with an insulating layer therebetween and joined to the load beam to support the load beam. | 09-30-2010 |
| 20100259854 | Slider and micro-actuator assembly, head gimbal assembly, and disk drive unit with the same - A slider and micro-actuator assembly of the present invention comprises a substrate having a trailing edge and a leading edge opposite the trailing edge; a read/write transducer formed at the trailing edge of the substrate and a piezoelectric micro-actuator formed at the leading edge of the substrate. The piezoelectric micro-actuator connects with the leading edge of the substrate via two spaced insulation layers so as to form a space between the piezoelectric micro-actuator and the leading edge of the substrate, the substrate with the read/write transducer rotates against a center thereof when the piezoelectric micro-actuator is driven to generate a rotation torque to the substrate via the space. The structure of the slider and micro-actuator assembly prevents the read/write transducer from damaged and gets better operation performance when the piezoelectric micro-actuator is driven. The present invention also discloses a method for manufacturing a slider and micro-actuator assembly, a HGA with the slider and micro-actuator assembly and a disk drive unit having such HGA. | 10-14-2010 |
| 20100296201 | HEAD SUSPENSION - A head suspension has a load beam and a piezoelectric actuator, the piezoelectric actuator supporting a base part of the load beam and configured to displace a front end of the load beam in a sway direction. The piezoelectric actuator has an actuator base and at least a piezoelectric element, the actuator base connected to the base part of the load beam and having at least an opening, the piezoelectric element attached to the opening and deforming in response to a voltage applied thereto to conduct displacement of the front end of the load beam. The head suspension also has a circumferential edge of the opening, configured to define the opening in the actuator base, a circumferential side face of the piezoelectric element, facing the circumferential edge of the opening, a circumferential channel defined between the circumferential edge of the opening and the circumferential side face of the piezoelectric element, a nonconductive filler fitted into the circumferential channel to maintain a width of the circumferential channel, and a nonconductive adhesive part formed in the circumferential channel and joining the circumferential edge of the opening and the circumferential side face of the piezoelectric element together. | 11-25-2010 |
| 20100302687 | PIEZOELECTRIC ELEMENT WITH ELECTRODE AND HEAD SUSPENSION - 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. | 12-02-2010 |
| 20110116194 | VARIABLE-RESPONSE MAGNETIC RADIOFREQUENCY DEVICE - This variable-response magnetic radiofrequency device integrated into a substrate comprises:
| 05-19-2011 |
| 20110176242 | Electromagnetic Heads, Flexures, Gimbals And Actuators Formed On And From A Wafer Substrate - Devices for reading or writing electromagnetic information include a wafer substrate piece disposed between an electromagnetic transducer and an electrostrictive or piezoelectric actuator. The substrate piece is shaped as a rigid body adjoining the transducer and as a flexible element connecting the body and the actuator. To fabricate, at least one electrostrictive layer and many transducers are formed on opposite sides of a wafer that is then cut into rows containing plural transducers. The rows are processed from directions generally normal to the wafer surface upon which the transducers were formed, by removing material to form a head, flexures and a media-facing surface on the head. Conductive leads are formed on a back surface of flexures connecting the transducer with drive electronics. The flexures are aligned with forces arising from interaction with the media surface and from seeking various tracks, reducing torque and dynamic instabilities and increasing actuator access time. | 07-21-2011 |
| 20110216446 | HEAD SUSPENSION AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURING HEAD SUSPENSION - A head suspension has a conductive base plate, a piezoelectric element, and a load beam. The piezoelectric element deforms in response to a voltage applied thereto, thereby moving the load beam relative to the base plate in a sway direction. The head suspension includes an actuator base integral with the base plate, an auxiliary plate laid on and fixed to the actuator base and having a surface support and a side support, the surface support facing a periphery of a surface of the piezoelectric element, the side support facing in the sway direction a side face of the piezoelectric element, an attaching part formed of the actuator base and auxiliary plate, the attaching part being present between the base plate and the load beam and being configured to attach the piezoelectric element thereto, a nonconductive adhesive layer interposed between the attaching part and the piezoelectric element, to adhere the piezoelectric element to the attaching part, and a conductive material configured to electrically connect an electrode plane of the piezoelectric element and the side support to each other. The head suspension is thin and secures conductivity between the electrode plane of the piezoelectric element and the actuator base. | 09-08-2011 |
| 20110249366 | Magnetic Head Suspension and Manufacturing Method Thereof - A flexure metal plate includes distal and proximal end side-center-support plate forming regions that are positioned on distal and proximal sides within an open section. To a distal end section of a supporting part that is positioned on a distal side of the open section, first and second-distal side-metal plates are fixed so as to be positioned on an outer side of the distal end side-center-support plate forming region in a width direction, and to a proximal end section of the supporting part that is positioned on a proximal side of the open section, first and second-proximal side-metal plates are fixed so as to be positioned on an outer side of the proximal end side-center-support plate forming region in the width direction. The first and second-distal side-metal plates form a distal end side-support plate in cooperation with the distal end side-center-support plate forming region, and the first and second-proximal side-metal plates form a proximal end side-support plate in cooperation with the proximal end side-center-support plate forming region. | 10-13-2011 |
| 20110279929 | ELECTRICAL CONNECTION STRUCTURE FOR PIEZOELECTRIC ELEMENT AND HEAD SUSPENSION - An electrical connection structure connects a piezoelectric element to a flexure with a conductive adhesive. An electrode surface is formed on the piezoelectric element, and a terminal surface is formed on the wiring member and is smoother than the electrode surface. A the gold plate layer is formed on the terminal surface and is connected to the electrode surface with the conductive adhesive. At least one recess is formed by laser processing on the conductive terminal surface layer. The electrical connection structure substantially equalizes the surface roughness of the terminal surface with the gold plate layer to that of the electrode surface, improves a bonding strength on the terminal surface nearly to that on the electrode surface, enhances the reliability of electrical connection between the electrode surface and the terminal surface, maintains electrical characteristics of the terminal surface, and prevents contamination around the terminal surface. | 11-17-2011 |
| 20120002329 | SUSPENSION ASSEMBLY HAVING A MICROACTUATOR GROUNDED TO A FLEXURE - Disclosed is a suspension assembly for a disk drive that includes: a mounting plate having a through-hole extending from a top-side of the mounting plate to a bottom-side of the mounting plate; a microactuator mounting structure formed in the mounting plate; a microactuator mounted in the microactuator mounting structure; and a flexure attached to the bottom-side of the of mounting plate. The flexure includes: a metal layer; an insulator layer; a trace layer that includes a ground trace; and an opening, wherein the opening extends through the metal layer and the insulator layer to a gold-plated ground trace. A conductive epoxy is bonded to the microactuator and extends through the through-hole to bond to the flexure, wherein the epoxy extends through the opening of the flexure to the gold-plated ground trace of the flexure such that the microactuator is grounded to the flexure. | 01-05-2012 |
| 20120281316 | Magnetic Head Suspension - In a magnetic head suspension according to the present invention, each of paired right and left connecting beams that are positioned on both sides of an open section, with which paired piezoelectric elements are at least partially overlapped in a plan view, in a suspension width direction and connect a proximal end section that is directly or indirectly connected to a main actuator and a distal end section to which the load bending part is connected includes proximal-side and distal-side beams. The distal-side beam is inclined with respect to the proximal-side beam in a plan view such that a connection point between the proximal-side and distal-side beams is located closer to a suspension longitudinal center line relative to a virtual line connecting the proximal end of the proximal-side beam and the distal end of the distal-side beam. | 11-08-2012 |
| 20120281317 | Magnetic Head Suspension - In a magnetic head suspension according to the present invention, each of paired right and left connecting beams that are positioned on both sides of an open section, with which paired piezoelectric elements are at least partially overlapped in a plan view, in a suspension width direction and connect a proximal end section that is directly or indirectly connected to a main actuator and a distal end section to which the load bending part is connected includes proximal-side and distal-side beams. The distal-side beam is inclined with respect to the proximal-side beam in a plan view such that a connection point between the proximal-side and distal-side beams is located closer to a suspension longitudinal center line relative to a virtual line connecting the proximal end of the proximal-side beam and the distal end of the distal-side beam. | 11-08-2012 |
| 20140055885 | HEAD SUSPENSION AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURING HEAD SUSPENSION - A head suspension | 02-27-2014 |
| 20140160599 | SUSPENSION BOARD WITH CIRCUIT - A suspension board with circuit includes a metal supporting layer, an insulating base layer formed on the metal supporting layer, a conductive layer formed on the insulating base layer, and a slider supported on the metal supporting layer via a pedestal. The conductive layer includes a conductive overlapping portion which overlaps a plane on which the slider is projected when projected in a thickness direction. The conductive overlapping portion is provided to be spaced apart from the slider. | 06-12-2014 |
| 20140300997 | SUSPENSION ASSEMBLY HAVING A MICROACTUATOR GROUNDED TO A FLEXURE - Disclosed is a suspension assembly for a disk drive that includes: a mounting plate having a through-hole; a microactuator mounted on the mounting plate; a flexure attached to the mounting plate, the flexure including a trace layer that includes a ground trace; and a conductive epoxy bonded to the microactuator extending through the through-hole to bond to the flexure, wherein the epoxy extends to the ground trace of the flexure such that the microactuator is grounded to the flexure. | 10-09-2014 |
| 20150055255 | LOW RESISTANCE GROUND JOINTS FOR DUAL STAGE ACTUATION DISK DRIVE SUSPENSIONS - Stable, low resistance conductive adhesive ground connections between motor contacts and a gold-plated contact area on a stainless steel component of a dual stage actuated suspension. The stainless steel component can be a baseplate, load beam, hinge, motor plate, add-on feature or flexure. | 02-26-2015 |
| 20150055256 | CO-LOCATED GIMBAL-BASED DUAL STAGE ACTUATION DISK DRIVE SUSPENSIONS WITH MOTOR STIFFENERS - Various embodiments concern a gimbaled flexure having a dual stage actuation structure. The flexure comprises a gimbal which includes a pair of spring arms, a pair of struts, and a tongue between the spring arms. A motor is mounted on the gimbal. The motor comprises a top side and a bottom side opposite the top side. The bottom side of the motor faces the flexure. A stiffener is mounted on the top side of the motor. At least one layer of adhesive is located between the stiffener and the motor and bonded to the stiffener and the motor. The gimbaled flexure includes a slider mounting for attaching a slider, such as to the tongue. The motor bends the struts to move the slider mounting about a tracking axis while the stiffener limits the degree of bending of the motor. | 02-26-2015 |
| 20150348577 | Reducing Ion Migration In A Hard Disk Drive Microactuator Flexure Assembly - Approaches to a suspension for a hard disk drive include having an adhered one or more piezo actuating device driven by a negative bias driving voltage. The negative bias driving voltage is lower than ground, therefore such voltage inhibits the migration of ions of an electrically conductive adhesive to an electrically conductive flexure layer, and inhibits the degradation of the resistance of an insulating material positioned between the conductive adhesive and the conductive flexure layer. | 12-03-2015 |
| 20160086625 | CIRCUIT CONNECTION PAD DESIGN FOR IMPROVED ELECTRICAL ROBUSTNESS USING CONDUCTIVE EPOXY - Disk drives including head suspensions within dual stage actuation systems have improved electrical connectivity between electrical connection pads from flexible circuits as are applied to head suspension assemblies with piezoelectric microactuators as also provided to head suspension assemblies. A more robust electrical connection provides for better control of microactuator actuation for fine movements and positioning of magnetic read/write heads relative to disk data tracks as part of dual stage actuated suspension systems. Electrical connections utilize conductive epoxy for physically and electrically connecting electrically conductive trace connection pads with one or more surfaces of piezoelectric microactuators. Electrical connections include better conductivity by utilizing plural surface portions of electrical connection pads. The result is a more robust and predictable performance for high data resolution within disk drives. | 03-24-2016 |
| 20160093792 | THIN-FILM PIEZOELECTRIC MATERIAL ELEMENT, METHOD OF MANUFACTURING THE SAME, HEAD GIMBAL ASSEMBLY, HARD DISK DRIVE, INK JET HEAD, VARIABLE FOCUS LENS AND SENSOR - A thin-film piezoelectric material element includes a lower electrode film, a piezoelectric material film, and an upper electrode film, the lower electrode film, the piezoelectric material film and the upper electrode film are laminated sequentially. An upper surface of the piezoelectric material film is a concavity and convexity surface having a convex part and a concave part, the convex part is a curved surface convexly projected, and the concave part is a curved surface concavely hollowed, the upper electrode film is formed on the concavity and convexity surface. The thin-film piezoelectric material element has a stress balancing film formed with a material having an internal stress capable of cancelling an element stress, the stress balancing film is formed on the upper electrode film. | 03-31-2016 |
| 20160133283 | SUSPENSION ASSEMBLY HAVING A MICROACTUATOR ELECTRICALLY CONNECTED TO A GOLD COATING ON A STAINLESS STEEL SURFACE - A novel suspension assembly includes a suspension assembly mounting plate, a microactuator mounting structure extending from the suspension assembly mounting plate, a load beam extending from the microactuator mounting structure, and a laminated flexure attached to the load beam. The laminated flexure includes a tongue that has a read head bonding surface. The suspension assembly includes a stainless steel surface having a gold coating, and a piezoelectric microactuator attached to the microactuator mounting structure and electrically connected to the gold coating. | 05-12-2016 |
| 20160171995 | PIEZOELECTRIC DISK DRIVE SUSPENSION MOTORS HAVING PLATED STIFFENERS | 06-16-2016 |
| 20160196842 | PIEZOELECTRIC ELEMENT, PIEZOELECTRIC ACTUATOR, AND HEAD SUSPENSION | 07-07-2016 |
| 20160196843 | MULTILAYER DISK DRIVE MOTORS HAVING OUT-OF-PLANE BENDING | 07-07-2016 |
| 360294500 | Voice coil adjuster | 7 |
| 20080231996 | VOICE COIL MOTORS AND MAGNETIC CIRCUITS THEREFOR - Two magnet pieces of rectangular prism or parallelepiped prism shape are disposed on a yoke in an angle array to construct a magnetic circuit for a voice coil motor. The magnetic circuits facilitate positioning and holding of a moving coil, and the voice coil motor is improved in positioning precision of a magnetic head. | 09-25-2008 |
| 20080231997 | VOICE COIL MOTORS AND MAGNETIC CIRCUITS THEREFOR - A magnet of rectangular prism or parallelepiped prism shape is disposed on a yoke to construct a magnetic circuit for a voice coil motor. The magnetic circuits facilitate positioning and holding of a moving coil, and the voice coil motor is improved in positioning precision of a magnetic head. | 09-25-2008 |
| 20090109576 | HEAD SUPPORT DEVICE AND DISK DEVICE WITH THE SAME - A head supporting arm coupled at one end with a head slider is supported so as it can revolve in parallel to the surface of a recording medium around a shaft for horizontal revolution, at the same time can revolve perpendicularly to the surface of recording medium around an axis for vertical revolution, which axis for vertical revolution being a straight line which contains the summit points of a pair of pivots. Further, voice coil unit is structured so as the center line of voice coil makes an angle θ to the center line of head supporting arm, and the center of gravity in centroid setting portion of the voice coil unit locates at a place which is at least in the direction anti-clockwise around the center of shaft for horizontal revolution with respect to the center line of head supporting arm. The above-configured head supporting gear provides such advantages as the downsizing of a disk drive, stabilized frequency characteristics, easier setting of load to the head at high accuracy level. | 04-30-2009 |
| 20100149695 | HEAD ACTUATOR VELOCITY CONTROL FOR ELECTRICAL POWER OFF IN A DISK DRIVE - A hard disk drive with a voice coil motor coupled to a head. The head is coupled to a disk that is rotated by a spindle motor. The spindle motor generates a back-emf current. The disk drive also includes a drive circuit that causes the voice coil motor to move the head off of the disk. The drive circuit provides at least a portion of the back-emf voltage to the voice coil motor if a head velocity exceeds a first predetermined value and a larger portion of the back-emf voltage if the head velocity exceeds a second predetermined value. For example, a relatively small amount of voltage can be provided if the head velocity falls below a first threshold to accelerate the head and a larger current can be provided if the head velocity falls below a lower threshold to generate a greater head thrust. | 06-17-2010 |
| 20120019961 | METHOD OF SEEK TRAJECTORY GENERATION FOR BETTER TRACKING AND FASTER SETTLING IN HARD DISK DRIVES - A hard disk drive with a circuit that controls a voice coil motor. The circuit provides a driving current to the voice coil motor to move a head of the drive in a seek routine. The seek routine includes a computation of a driving current that is a function of a feedforward zero phase error tracking algorithm. Utilizing the feedforward zero phase error tracking algorithm can reduce the seek time of the drive. | 01-26-2012 |
| 20120170155 | MAGNETIC DISK DEVICE - A magnetic disk device including a disk, a spindle motor, a base for supporting the spindle motor and the disk, a slider includes a head element. The device also includes an actuator including arms for supporting the slider and a coil of a voice coil motor for rotating the arms, wherein a first natural bending frequency of the coil is less than a first natural bending frequency of the arms. | 07-05-2012 |
| 20130027814 | FLEXIBLE-PRINTED-CIRCUIT VOICE-COIL ASSEMBLY CONFIGURED FOR INTEGRATION IN A VOICE-COIL MOTOR - A flexible-printed-circuit (FPC) voice-coil assembly configured for integration in a voice-coil motor. The FPC voice-coil assembly includes at least one FPC voice coil. The FPC voice coil includes a coil including at least one coil turn, and a flexible substrate. The flexible substrate is coupled to the coil to form a flexible printed circuit. The FPC voice coil is configured for integration in a voice-coil motor. A voice-coil motor and a disk drive including the FPC voice-coil assembly are also provided. | 01-31-2013 |
| 360294600 | Pivot structure detail | 4 |
| 20100246072 | HARD DISK DRIVE - A hard disk drive having an actuator coupled to a pivot part about which the actuator rotates, including first and second pivot bearings coupled to the actuator and the pivot part, wherein a rotation center of at least one of the first and second pivot bearings is offset from respective longitudinal centers of the first and second pivot bearings. | 09-30-2010 |
| 20120281318 | AIR BEARING SLIDER - A slider includes a leading edge, a trailing edge, a transducer adjacent to the trailing edge, and an air bearing surface. The air bearing surface includes a forward pad, a rearward pad, and a center rail pad feature disposed along a longitudinal axis of the slider. The center rail pad feature includes a first shallow recess finger and a second shallow recess finger diverging from the longitudinal axis toward the trailing edge. | 11-08-2012 |
| 20130094110 | SUSPENSION CLAMP FOR CLAMPING A DISK DRIVE SUSPENSION TO AN ACTUATOR ARM - A suspension clamp is disclosed for clamping a disk drive suspension to an actuator arm. The suspension clamp comprises a housing including a spring operable to bias a latching member, wherein the latching member is rotatable about a pivot. After compressing the spring and rotating the latching member in a first direction, the latching member is operable to clamp the suspension to the actuator arm by decompressing the spring. | 04-18-2013 |
| 20130100556 | BASEPLATE FOR DISK DRIVE SUSPENSION AND METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING BASEPLATE - A cylindrical boss portion is press-formed on a baseplate of a disk drive suspension. The boss portion is penetrated by a ball insertion hole relative to the thickness of the baseplate. The baseplate is formed of stainless steel. A chemically-polished surface is formed on an inner circumferential wall of the ball insertion hole by chemically polishing the baseplate after heat-treating it. The boss portion is inserted into a mounting hole of an actuator arm. A ball having a diameter larger than the inside diameter of the ball insertion hole is passed through the ball insertion hole. As the diameter of the boss portion is enlarged by the ball, the boss portion is fixed to the actuator arm. | 04-25-2013 |
