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US 7,064,932 B1Granted
Head stack and actuator arm assemblies and disk drives having an actuator including an actuator arm spacer to increase actuator and suspension stiffness and to reduce the number of actuator arm resonance modes
AssigneeWestern Digital Technologies, Inc.
InventorsChen-Chi Lin, Chunjer C. Cheng
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A disk drive includes a disk and a head stack assembly for reading and writing to the disk. The head stack assembly includes a body portion, a first actuator arm cantilevered from the body portion and a second actuator arm cantilevered from the body portion. A coil portion is cantilevered from the body portion in an opposite direction from the first and second actuator arms. An actuator arm spacer is disposed between the first and second actuator arms and away from the body portion, and mechanically links the first and second actuator arms.
Claims35
A head stack assembly for a disk drive, the head stack assembly defining a pivot axis and comprising:
- a body portion;
- a first actuator arm cantilevered from the body portion;
- a second actuator arm cantilevered from the body portion;
- an actuator arm spacer disposed between the first and second actuator arms and away from the body portion, the actuator arm spacer having an axis that is parallel to and offset from the pivot axis of the head stack assembly, the actuator arm spacer mechanically linking the first and second actuator arms, and
- a coil portion cantilevered from the body portion in an opposite direction from the first and second actuator arms,
- wherein the actuator arm spacer, the body portion, and the first and second actuator arms are a single part having material continuity rather than being an assembly of sub-parts.
3 more elements
A disk drive, comprising:
- a disk;
- a head stack assembly for reading and writing to the disk, the head stack assembly defining a pivot axis and including:
- a body portion;
- a first actuator arm cantilevered from the body portion;
- a second actuator arm cantilevered from the body portion;
- an actuator arm spacer disposed between the first and second actuator arms and away from the body portion, the actuator arm spacer having an axis that is parallel to and offset from the pivot axis of the head stack assembly, the actuator arm spacer mechanically linking the first and second actuator arms, and
- a coil portion cantilevered from the body portion in an opposite direction from the first and second actuator arms,
- wherein the actuator arm spacer, the body portion, and the first and second actuator arms are a single part having material continuity rather than being an assembly of sub-parts.
5 more elements
A head stack assembly for a disk drive, the head stack assembly comprising:
- a body portion;
- a first actuator arm cantilevered from the body portion;
- a first suspension assembly coupled to the first actuator arm, the first suspension assembly having a first weight;
- a second actuator arm cantilevered from the body portion;
- a second suspension assembly coupled to the second actuator arm, the second suspension assembly having a second weight;
- an actuator arm spacer disposed between the first and second actuator arms and away from the body portion, the actuator arm spacer mechanically linking the first and second actuator arms, the actuator arm spacer having a weight that is about equal to a sum of the first and second weights, and
- a coil portion cantilevered from the body portion in an opposite direction from the first and second actuator arms.
4 more elements
A disk drive, comprising:
- a disk;
- a head stack assembly for reading and writing to the disk, including:
- a body portion;
- a first actuator arm cantilevered from the body portion;
- a first suspension assembly coupled to the first actuator arm, the first suspension assembly having a first weight;
- a second actuator arm cantilevered from the body portion;
- a second suspension assembly coupled to the second actuator arm, the second suspension assembly having a second weight;
- an actuator arm spacer disposed between the first and second actuator arms and away from the body portion, the actuator arm spacer mechanically linking the first and second actuator arms, the actuator arm spacer having a weight that is about equal to a sum of the first and second weights, and
- a coil portion cantilevered from the body portion in an opposite direction from the first and second actuator arms.
6 more elements
A head stack assembly for a disk drive, the head stack assembly comprising:
- a body portion;
- a first actuator arm cantilevered from the body portion;
- a second actuator arm cantilevered from the body portion;
- an actuator arm spacer disposed between the first and second actuator arms and away from the body portion, the actuator arm spacer mechanically linking the first and second actuator arms, the actuator arm spacer being a discrete element that is formed separately from the body portion and from the first and second actuator arms, the actuator arm spacer being attached to the first and second actuator arms by a swaging process, and
- a coil portion cantilevered from the body portion in an opposite direction from the first and second actuator arms,
- the head stack assembly further comprising a first suspension assembly coupled to the first actuator arm and a second suspension assembly coupled to the second actuator arm and wherein the first suspension assembly has a first weight and the second suspension assembly has a second weight and wherein the actuator arm spacer has a weight that is about equal to a sum of the first and second weights.
3 more elements
A head stack assembly for a disk drive, the head stack assembly comprising:
- a body portion;
- a first actuator arm cantilevered from the body portion;
- a second actuator arm cantilevered from the body portion;
- an actuator arm spacer disposed between the first and second actuator arms and away from the body portion, the actuator arm spacer mechanically linking the first and second actuator arms, the actuator arm spacer being a discrete element that is formed separately from the body portion and from the first and second actuator arms, the actuator arm spacer being attached to the first and second actuator arms by a swaging process, and
- a coil portion cantilevered from the body portion in an opposite direction from the first and second actuator arms,
- wherein the discrete actuator arm spacer defines first and second neck portions having a first radius and a central portion having a second radius and disposed between the first and second neck portions, the first radius being smaller than the second radius to enable the first and second neck portions to be swaged onto the first and second actuator arms, respectively.
3 more elements
A head stack assembly for a disk drive, the head stack assembly comprising:
- a body portion;
- a first actuator arm cantilevered from the body portion;
- a second actuator arm cantilevered from the body portion;
- an actuator arm spacer disposed between the first and second actuator arms and away from the body portion the actuator arm spacer mechanically linking the first and second actuator arms, the actuator arm spacer being a discrete element that is formed separately from the body portion and from the first and second actuator arms, the actuator arm spacer being attached to the first and second actuator arms by a swaging process, and
- a coil portion cantilevered from the body portion in an opposite direction from the first and second actuator arms,
- wherein the first actuator arm defines a first surface and wherein the second actuator arm defines a second surface, the first surface facing the second surface, and wherein the actuator arm spacer is attached to the first and second actuator arms between the first and second surfaces.
3 more elements
A disk drive, comprising:
- a disk;
- a head stack assembly for reading and writing to the disk, including:
- a body portion;
- a first actuator arm cantilevered from the body portion;
- a second actuator arm cantilevered from the body portion;
- an actuator arm spacer disposed between the first and second actuator arms and away from the body portion, the actuator arm spacer mechanically linking the first and second actuator arms, the actuator arm spacer being a discrete element that is formed separately from the body portion and from the first and second actuator arms, the actuator arm spacer being attached to the first and second actuator arms by a swaging process, and
- a coil portion cantilevered from the body portion in an opposite direction from the first and second actuator arms,
- further comprising a first suspension assembly coupled to the first actuator arm and a second suspension assembly coupled to the second actuator arm and wherein the first suspension assembly has a first weight and the second suspension assembly has a second weight and wherein the actuator arm spacer has a weight that is about equal to a sum of the first and second weights.
5 more elements
A disk drive, comprising:
- a disk;
- a head stack assembly for reading and writing to the disk, including:
- a body portion;
- a first actuator arm cantilevered from the body portion;
- a second actuator arm cantilevered from the body portion;
- an actuator arm spacer disposed between the first and second actuator arms and away from the body portion, the actuator arm spacer mechanically linking the first and second actuator arms, the actuator arm spacer being a discrete element that is formed separately from the body portion and from the first and second actuator arms, the actuator arm spacer being attached to the first and second actuator arms by a swaging process, and
- a coil portion cantilevered from the body portion in an opposite direction from the first and second actuator arms,
- wherein the discrete actuator arm spacer defines first and second neck portions having a first radius and a central portion having a second radius and disposed between the first and second neck portions, the first radius being smaller than the second radius to enable the first and second neck portions to be swaged onto the first and second actuator arms, respectively.
5 more elements
A disk drive, comprising:
- a disk;
- a head stack assembly for reading and writing to the disk, including:
- a body portion;
- a first actuator arm cantilevered from the body portion;
- a second actuator arm cantilevered from the body portion;
- an actuator arm spacer disposed between the first and second actuator arms and away from the body portion, the actuator arm spacer mechanically linking the first and second actuator arms, the actuator arm spacer being a discrete element that is formed separately from the body portion and from the first and second actuator arms, the actuator arm spacer being attached to the first and second actuator arms by a swaging process, and
- a coil portion cantilevered from the body portion in an opposite direction from the first and second actuator arms,
- wherein the first actuator arm defines a first surface and wherein the second actuator arm defines a second surface, the first surface facing the second surface, and wherein the actuator arm spacer is attached to the first and second actuator arms between the first and second surfaces.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.