Recording head suspension utilizing superconductor means

Apparatus for exchanging information between a data processing system and a stack of rotating recording disks, comprising;

• a stack of recording disks having a plurality of spaced and concentrically located disks, each disk having two recording surfaces located on the two planar surfaces thereof, and each recording surface having a number of spaced recording tracks thereon,
• a transducing head for each of said recording surfaces, each head including structure for imparting information to the adjacent recording surface, for detecting information that is recorded on the adjacent recording surface, or both,
• a comb-like arm structure for moving a head to a media track of a recording surface and having a plurality of spaced arms, each arm being located to penetrate the space between two adjacent axially located disks of said disk stack,
• two heads attached to each of said arms, to thereby form two arm/head pairs for each arm, and to thereby position each head of each arm/head pair relative to an adjacent recording surface,
• a plurality of pairs of superconductor members and a like plurality of electrically energizable coils, one superconductor/coil pair being associated with each of said arm/head pairs,
• a plurality of controllable energizing circuits connected with one energizing circuit for each of said coils, to thereby energize each coil as a function of a desired distance to be maintained between a head and the adjacent recording surface
• a plurality of distance sensors for sensing the distance between each head and its adjacent recording surface and providing a distance feedback to its controllable energizing circuit, and
• distance command means providing a first command input to the controllable energizing circuit for a head to thereby reduce the distance between a head and its adjacent recording surface when the head is selected to either impart information to its adjacent recording surface or to detect information recorded on its adjacent recording surface, and providing a second command input to the controllable energizing circuit to thereby increase the distance between a head and its adjacent recording surface when the head is not so selected.

A method for exchanging information with moving recording media, comprising the steps of;

• providing moving recording media having a number of physically spaced recording tracks thereon,
• providing an arm having an information transducing head attached thereto, said head being capable of exchanging information with said recording media,
• providing a superconductor member associated with one of said arm or said head,
• providing an electrically energizable coil associated with the other one of said arm or said head, such that energization of said coil generates a magnetic field interacting with said superconductor member to generate a repulsion force between said superconductor member and said coil,
• providing a force operable to bias said head and said superconductor member toward each other,
• providing a controllable energizing circuit connected to energize said coil as a function of a desired distance to be maintained between said head and said recording media,
• providing a sensor for sensing the distance that exists between said head and said recording media,
• providing a distance feedback input to said controllable energizing circuit in accordance with the magnitude of said sensed distance,
• providing a command distance input to said controllable energizing circuit to thereby specify a command distance to be maintained between said head and said recording media, and
• providing a decreased magnitude command distance input to said controllable energizing circuit when said head is selected to either impart information to said recording media or to detect information recorded on said recording media.

A method providing for the exchanging of information with a stack of rotating information recording disks, comprising the steps of;

• providing a stack of recording disks having a plurality of spaced and concentrically located disks, each disk having a recording surface located on the two planar surfaces thereof, and each recording surface having a number of spaced recording tracks thereon,
• providing a transducing head for each of said recording surfaces, each head including structure for transducing information relative to an adjacent recording surface,
• providing a comb-like arm structure having a plurality of spaced arms, each arm being located to penetrate the space between two adjacent axially located disks of said disk stack,
• providing two heads attached to each arm of said comb-like structure, to thereby form two arm/head pairs for each arm, and to thereby position each head of said arm/head pair relative to an adjacent recording surface,
• providing a drive member connected to said comb-like arm structure for moving a specified head to a specified track of a specified recording surface,
• providing a plurality of pairs of superconductor members and electrically energizable coils, one superconductor/coil pair being associated with each of said arm/head pairs, and
• providing a magnitude of energization for a coil when its head is selected to transduce information relative to its adjacent recording surface to reduce the distance between the selected head and its adjacent recording surface when the head is so selected as compared to when said head is not so selected.

Recording head suspension apparatus utilizing a Meissner or magnetic mirror force to provide a controllable flying height between a transducer and a recording surface, comprising:

• a transducer,
• recording media having a recording surface associated in transducing relation with said transducer,
• an electrically energizable coil associated with said transducer comprising a source of a variable magnitude magnetic field,
• superconducting material associated with said transducer in a manner to interact with the magnetic field produced by energization of said coil to provide a repulsion force operable to force bias said transducer toward said recording surface,
• a force member associated with said transducer to force bias said transducer away from said recording surface in opposition to said repulsion force,
• a controllable energizing circuit connected to said coil for energizing said coil in a manner to provide a controlled flying height between said transducer and said recording surface, said flying height varying as a function of the magnitude of coil energization, and
• control means for controlling said energizing circuit in a first manner to provide a relatively large flying height when said transducer is not operable to transduce said recording surface, and to control said energizing circuit in a second manner to provide a relatively small flying height when said transducer is operable to transduce said recording surface.

In combination,

• two closely adjacent data recording disks,
• a rigid access arm extending between said disks,
• a pair of data transducing heads, each head of said pair being mounted on opposite sides of said access arm so as to be located in spaced transducing relation to respective ones of said two recording disks,
• a spring force biasing each of said heads toward said arm and away from its recording disk, the magnitude of said spring force bias increasing as the space between a head and its recording disk decreases,
• a pair of magnetic mirror force members, each of which comprises a superconductor and an electrically energizable source of a variable magnitude magnetic field, each of said magnetic mirror force members being associated with one of said heads so as to magnetic mirror force bias each of said heads away from said arm and toward its recording disk, the magnitude of said magnetic mirror force bias increasing as the magnitude of said magnetic field increases,
• circuit means for electrically energizing said source of variable magnetic field so as to achieve a desired space between a head and its recording disk, and
• control means connected to said circuit means to selectively reduce the transducing space between a head and its recording disk by increasing the magnitude of said magnetic field when the head is to be located in spaced transducing relation to its recording disk.

In combination,

• two adjacent data recording disks,
• a pair of flexible blade-spring access arms extending between said disks so as to place each of said access arms adjacent to a different one of said disks,
• a pair of data transducing heads, each head being mounted on one of said access arms so as to be located in spaced transducing relation to a different one of said recording disks,
• said access arms providing a spring force biasing each of said heads away from its recording disk, and the magnitude of said spring force bias increasing as the space between a head and its recording disk decreases,
• a pair of magnetic mirror force members, each of which comprises a superconductor and an electrically energizable source of a variable magnitude magnetic field, each of said magnetic mirror force members being associated with one of said heads so as to magnetic mirror force bias each of said heads toward its recording disk, the magnitude of said magnetic mirror force bias increasing as the magnitude of said magnetic field increases,
• circuit means for electrically energizing said sources of variable magnetic field so as to achieve a desired space between a head and its recording disk, and
• control means connected to said circuit means to selectively increase the magnitude of said magnetic field to thereby reduce the distance between a head and a disk when a head is to be located in transducing relation to a recording disk.