Load/unload ramp mechanism for reduced cracking
AssigneeWestern Digital Technologies, Inc.
InventorsJianqian Xu, Hiroki Kitahori, Shin Nagahiro, Nobuyuki Okunaga
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A load/unload ramp assembly for a hard disk drive includes a support plate having at least one interlock slot and a plurality of ramp units interconnected with the support plate. At least one of the ramp units includes an interlock structure that protrudes into a corresponding interlock slot of the support plate, and is configured to move within the interlock slot in response to shrinkage of the ramp unit upon cooling associated with manufacturing of the ramp assembly. The ends of the interlock slot may be configured to manage the shrinkage and/or to maintain design dimensions.
Claims19
A data storage device comprising:
- a disk media stack comprising a plurality of disk media rotatably mounted on a spindle;
- a head stack assembly (HSA) comprising a plurality of head sliders each comprising a read/write head configured to read from and to write to at least one disk media of the stack;
- a voice coil motor configured to move the HSA for the plurality of head sliders to access portions of a corresponding disk media of the stack;
- and
- a load/unload ramp assembly configured for loading the HSA to the disk media stack and for unloading the HSA from the disk media stack, the ramp assembly comprising:
- a support plate comprising at least one interlock slot, and
- a plurality of ramp units interconnected with the support plate,
- wherein:
- at least one ramp unit of the plurality of ramp units comprises an interlock structure protruding through a corresponding interlock slot of the support plate, and
- the interlock structure is configured to slide along the corresponding interlock slot in response to shrinkage of the at least one ramp unit upon cooling.
A hard disk drive load/unload ramp assembly, the ramp assembly comprising:
- a reinforcing plate comprising at least one interlock slot, and
- a plurality of ramp bodies insert-molded with the reinforcing plate,
- wherein:
- at least one ramp body of the plurality of ramp bodies comprises an interlock tab protruding through a corresponding interlock slot of the reinforcing plate, and
- the interlock tab is configured to move along the corresponding interlock slot in response to shrinkage of the at least one ramp body upon cooling associated with manufacturing of the ramp assembly.
A hard disk drive comprising:
- a disk media stack comprising a plurality of disk media rotatably mounted on a spindle;
- a head stack assembly (HSA) comprising a plurality of head sliders each comprising a read/write head configured to read from and to write to at least one disk media of the stack;
- a voice coil motor configured to move the HSA for the plurality of head sliders to access portions of a corresponding disk media of the stack;
- and
- ramp means configured for loading the HSA to the disk media stack and for unloading the HSA from the disk media stack, the ramp means comprising:
- reinforcing means comprising a first interlocking means;
- and
- load/unload means molded with the reinforcing means;
- wherein:
- the load/unload means comprises second interlock means structurally mating with the first interlocking means of the reinforcing means, and
- the second interlocking means is configured to move along the corresponding first interlocking means in response to shrinkage of the load/unload means upon cooling associated with manufacturing of the ramp means.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.