US 2006/0139796 A1 · Disk drive with air flow control within enclosure

Abstract

Turbulence of an airflow returning to a magnetic disk along the base sidewall of a HDD is reduced to thereby reduce flutter of an actuator or a magnetic disk caused by the airflow, thus improving read/write performance. An HDD according to an embodiment of the present invention comprises a base, a top cover fixed to the base, a motor for rotating a magnetic disk, an actuator for moving a head which gets access to the magnetic disk, a ramp slope portion on which an extreme end is ridden up, a ramp support portion for supporting the ramp slope portion, and a stage for holding the ramp support portion. A flow passage is formed which runs toward the magnetic disk through an area near the ramp support portion on the side of the top cover. An inclined portion running toward the bottom of the base is formed on the end of the flow passage on the side of the magnetic disk.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A disk drive comprising:

an enclosure having a base and a top cover fixed to said base;
a motor arranged internally of said base to rotate a recording disk;
an actuator holding a head getting access to said recording disk, said actuator being turned to thereby move the head;
a ramp slope portion which is located beside said recording disk, and on which an extreme end of said actuator is ridden up in order to move said head outside said recording disk;
a ramp support portion configured to support said ramp slope portion;
and
a stage provided in said enclosure and configured to attach said ramp support portion thereto;
wherein a flow passage through which air flows to said recording disk through an area near said ramp support portion on the side of the top cover is formed between said ramp slope portion and said enclosure, and an inclined surface running toward a base bottom of said base is formed on an end of the flow passage on the side of said recording disk.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Disk drive with air flow control within enclosure

Life of this patent

Disk drive with air flow control within enclosure

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims20