Back to results
US 7,116,522 B2Granted
System and method related to a flexible circuit
AssigneeHewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
InventorPaul W. Poorman
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A tape drive comprises a magnetic head and a flexible circuit coupled to the magnetic head. The flexible circuit comprises a rolling loop and a double layer portion that extends at least partially through the rolling loop.
Claims12
A tape drive, comprising:
- a magnetic head;
- a carriage to carry the magnetic head;
- and
- a flexible circuit coupled to the magnetic head, the flexible circuit comprising:
- a rolling loop;
- a double layer portion that extends at least partially through the rolling loop;
- and a reduced stiffness region including a pair of separated rolling loops that extend at least partially through the rolling loop, wherein the double layer portion comprises first and second layers coupled together at least on opposite lengthwise sides of the reduced stiffness region, and the pair of rolling loops separate at a first location in the reduced stiffness region and reconnect at a second location in the reduced stiffness region.
4 more elements
A multichannel device, comprising:
- a flexible circuit having a first plurality of traces arranged in a first layer, a second plurality of traces arranged in a second layer, a substrate disposed between the first layer and the second layer, and an outer insulation layer, the flexible circuit further comprising a rolling loop region and a stiffness reducer to relieve trace stresses in the rolling loop region, wherein the first layer is adjacent the second layer at least on opposite lengthwise sides of the stiffness reducer, and the stiffness reducer comprises a reduced thickness of the substrate in the rolling loop region relative to the thickness of the outer insulation layer.
A method, comprising:
- forming a double layer flexible circuit with a pair of trace layers, a substrate between the pair of trace layers and an outer insulation layer;
- bending the double layer flexible circuit along a rolling loop;
- and
- reducing the stiffness of the double layer flexible circuit along the rolling loop by separating the pair of trace layers at a beginning of the rolling loop and reconnecting the pair of trace layers at an end of the rolling loop.
1 more element
A system, comprising:
- means for forming a double layer flexible circuit comprising a first layer and a second layer;
- means for creating a rolling loop in the double layer flexible circuit to accommodate a tape utilized with a tape device;
- and
- means for reducing the stiffness of the double layer flexible circuit in the region of the rolling loop between regions where the first layer is coupled to the second layer by separating the first and second layers at a beginning of the rolling loop and reconnecting the first and second layers at an end of the rolling loop.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.