Head lifter for disk drive
OwnerDieter M. Schulzeinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An improved head lifting mechanism for a hard disk drive which lifts miltiple heads away from the top and bottom surfaces of disks. Two opposing lifter arms are used with one end of a first lifter arm extending between a head arm and the top surface of a disk while one end of the other lifter arm extends between another head arm and the bottom surface of a disk. The head arms are biased away from each other by a spring to separate the heads from the disk. An electromagnet pulls the lifter arms towards each other during operation of the disk drive so that the heads are not separated from the disks.
Claims10
An apparatus for lifting first and second heads away from the top and bottom surfaces of a disk, respectively, in a disk drive, said heads being mounted on first and second head arms, respectively, comprising:
- a first lifter arm having first and second ends, said first end extending between said first head and said top surface of said disk;
- a second lifter arm having first and second ends, said first end of said second lifter arm extending between said second head and said bottom surface of said disk;
- at least one fulcrum contacting said first and second lifter arms proximate said second ends;
- means for biasing said first ends of said first and second lifter arms away from each other about said fulcrum so that said first lifter arm forces said first head arm away from said disk and said second lifter arm forces said second head arm away from said disk;
- and
- an electromagnet mounted between said lifter arms and between said fulcrum and said first ends of said lifter arms for moving said first and second lifter arms toward each other.
An apparatus for lifting first and second head arms away from the top surfaces of first and second disks, respectively, and for lifting third and fourth head arms away from the bottom surfaces of said first and second disks, respectively, comprising:
- a first lifter plate having first and second ends;
- first and second vertically displaced lifter arms extending from said first end of said first lifter plate to between said first head arm and said top surface of said first disk and between said second head arm and said top surface of said second disk, respectively;
- a second lifter plate having first and second ends;
- third and fourth vertically displaced lifter arms extending from said first end of said second lifter plate to between said third head arm and said bottom surface of said first disk and between said fourth head arm and said bottom surface of said second disk, respectively;
- a spring coupling said second ends of said first and second lifter plates for biasing said first ends of said lifter plates away from each other so that said first and second lifter arms force said first and second head arms away from said disks and said third and fourth lifter arms force said third and fourth head arms away from said disks;
- at least one fulcrum member contacting said first and second lifter plates proximate said second ends;
- and
- an electromagnetic coil mounted between said first and second lifter plates and between said fulcrum member and said first ends of said lifter plates for biasing said first ends of said lifter plates toward each other.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.