Head suspension with outriggers extending across a spring region
AssigneeHutchinson Technology Incorporated
InventorMark T. Girard
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A head suspension for supporting a read/write head adjacent a rotating data storage device is constructed with outriggers that enhance its lateral stiffness. The outriggers are formed integrally with the head suspension load region and support region and are laterally spaced on opposite sides of the spring region. By passing over the spring region in connecting the opposite lateral sides of the load region to the support region of the head suspension, the outriggers increase the lateral stiffness and sway frequency of the head suspension without appreciably affecting the spring rate or appreciably increasing the weight of the head suspension.
Claims25
A head suspension for supporting a read/write head adjacent a rotating data storage device, the head suspension having opposite lateral side edges and a longitudinal length with opposite proximal and distal ends, a rigid support region of the head suspension adjacent the head suspension proximal end and a rigid load region of the head suspension adjacent the head suspension distal end, a resilient spring region formed in the head suspension between the support region and the load region, the head suspension comprising:
- a pair of outriggers connecting the head suspension load region to the head suspension support region while bypassing the head suspension spring region, the outriggers being positioned laterally outside from, and unattached to, opposite lateral side edges of the resilient spring region such that the outriggers increase the lateral stiffness and sway frequency of the head suspension without appreciably effecting spring rate of the head suspension.
A head suspension for supporting a read/write head adjacent a rotating data storage device, the head suspension having a longitudinal length with opposite proximal and distal ends, a rigid support region of the head suspension adjacent the head suspension proximal end, a rigid load region of the head suspension adjacent the head suspension distal end, a resilient spring region in the head suspension positioned longitudinally between the head suspension support region and the head suspension load region, the spring region having laterally opposite side edges that extend between the support region and the load region, the head suspension comprising:
- a pair of outriggers connecting the head suspension load region to the head suspension support region while bypassing the head suspension spring region, the outriggers being positioned laterally outside from opposite lateral side edges of the resilient spring region and unattached to the spring region, such that the outriggers resist sway caused by lateral forces exerted on the head suspension without appreciably effecting spring rate of the head suspension.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.