Data head load beam for height compacted, low power fixed head and disk assembly

A height compacted, miniature head and disk assembly for a fixed disk drive data storage subsystem comprising:

• base means,
• cover means for enclosing the base means so that the base means and the cover means cooperatively define a hermetically sealed interior space,
• disk spindle means extending from the base means within the space, the disk spindle means including an in-hub direct drive spindle motor means,
• at least two data storage disks mounted in stacked arrangement on the disk spindle means and rotated by the spindle motor means, the disks having a diameter not substantially greater than 95 millimeters, there being a space between oppositely facing data storage surfaces of the disks having a height dimension not substantially greater than about one tenth of an inch, the data storage disks defining at least three data storage surfaces;
• mass balanced rotary voice coil actuator means defined relative to the base means and including at least three two head arms;
• at least three elongated load beams, each load beam being attached to a said head arm at an attachment end thereof and in substantial in-line alignment therewith along a longitudinal axis, each said load beam including:
• a leaf spring loading region adjacent to the attachment end, a flexure attachment region adjacent to a head end region, and a load beam region extending between the load beam between the leaf spring loading region and the flexure attachment region and comprising longitudinal reverse flange peripheral edge portions for stiffening said load beam region in a direction along the longitudinal axis,
• a data transducer head slider,
• gimbal flexure means attached to the load beam at the flexure attachment region for mounting said data transducer head slider to the load beam so that the head slider may freely follow the contour of a said data storage surface above which it is flying on an air bearing cushion formed as said spindle rotates said disks, and
• dynamic loading tab means extending from the flexure attachment region outwardly beyond the data transducer head in a direction along said longitudinal axis, said dynamic loading tab means including loading tab stiffening means for stiffening the loading tab in a direction along said longitudinal axis;
• and,
• loading ramp means fixed to the base adjacent to peripheral edges of the data storage disks in a position so as to be engaged by said dynamic loading tab means of each said load beam as it reaches a peripheral region of each said data storage surface in accordance with positioning by the rotary voice coil actuator, said loading ramp means defining an engagement ramp region overhanging a peripheral region of each said data storage surface and extending to a head parking region position beyond the outer periphery of each said data storage surface.

An improved elongated load beam for a data transducer head mounting structure for use within a head and disk assembly of a fixed disk drive including a data storage disk rotating at a predetermined angular velocity relative to a base and a rotary head actuator structure rotatably mounted to the base and including a head arm for supporting at least one said data transducer head mounting structure with a data transducer head slider and moving at least one data transducer head slider about a plurality of concentric data track locations defined on a data storage surface of the disk, the elongated load beam being integrally formed from a single sheet of material along a common longitudinal axis and including:

• a head arm attachment end region for attachment to an outward end of the head arm in substantial alignment therewith;
• a leaf spring loading region adjacent to the head arm attachment end region;
• a flexure attachment region adjacent to a head end region for attachment of a gimbal flexure for mounting the transducer head slider, said gimbal flexure enabling said head slider to freely follow the contour of the data storage surface;
• a load beam region located between the leaf spring loading region and the flexure attachment region and being reinforced along the longitudinal axis;
• and,
• a dynamic head loading tab region formed at the outermost part of the head end region and extending beyond the flexure attachment region and further including longitudinal stiffening means for stiffening the loading tab region along the longitudinal axis, the loading tab region including cam follower means for engaging a loading ramp means associated with the head and disk assembly;
• whereby at least during initial assembly of the head and disk assembly, a said loading ramp means may be positioned adjacent to a peripheral edge of the data storage disk so as to cooperate with the cam follower means, so that as the load beam means is moved relative to the periphery of the data storage disk, the cam follower means follows a camming surface of the loading ramp means in order to load the data transducer slider into position with respect to said data storage surface.