Dual stage actuated suspension having shear-mode PZT actuators for rotating gimbal tongue

A flexure for a suspension for a disk drive, comprising:

• a gimbal tongue and a head slider mounted thereto for writing data to, and reading data from, a moving data medium, the gimbal tongue being gimbaled on a distal end of the flexure to allow the head slider to pitch and roll as the moving data medium moves underneath the head slider;
• a shear-mode piezoelectric device mounted to the distal end of the flexure;
• and
• a flexible connector extending from the shear-mode piezoelectric device to the gimbal tongue;
• wherein when the piezoelectric device is actuated:
• the shear-mode piezoelectric device moves the flexible connector in a first longitudinal direction;
• and
• the movement of the flexible connector causes the head slider to rotate.

A flexure, comprising:

• a proximal end and a distal end, the distal end is opposite the proximal end;
• a gimbal tongue at the distal end of the flexure;
• a head slider mounted to the gimbal tongue for writing data to, and reading data from, a moving data medium, the gimbal tongue being gimbaled on the flexure to allow the head slider to pitch and roll as the moving data medium moves underneath the head slider;
• first and second shear-mode piezoelectric devices flexibly mounted to the flexure, extending from the proximal end of the flexure towards the gimbal tongue such that said first and second shear-mode piezoelectric devices have freedom of movement to move vertically without being rigidly coupled to each other in the vertical dimension;
• and
• a mechanical coupling arranged so that activation of the first piezoelectric device causes a pushing force to be exerted on a first side of the gimbal tongue at the same time that activation of the second piezoelectric devices causes a pulling force to be exerted on a second side of the gimbal tongue opposite the first side, the simultaneous pushing and pulling forces on the gimbal tongue causing the gimbal tongue to rotate.

A dual stage actuated suspension for a disk drive, comprising:

• a beam portion;
• a flexure with a distal end and a proximal end, wherein the flexure is mounted to the beam portion at the proximal end of the flexure, the flexure including:
• a gimbal tongue at the distal end of the flexure;
• and
• first and second flexible outrigger arms extending on respective lateral sides of the flexure from a relatively fixed portion of the flexure adjacent to the beam portion and extending to the gimbal tongue;
• a head slider mounted to the gimbal tongue for writing data to, and reading data from, a moving data medium containing a plurality of data tracks thereon;
• a first shear-mode piezoelectric device mounted at a distal end of the first flexible outrigger arm opposite of the relatively fixed portion of the flexure, the first shear-mode piezoelectric device having a top surface, a bottom surface, and two electrodes, the top surface moving in a linear shear direction relative to the bottom surface when an actuation voltage is applied across the electrodes;
• and
• a mechanical coupling that, in response to the piezoelectric device being activated, couples the shear movement of the piezoelectric device to rotational movement of the head slider.