Self loading suspension for hard disk drives
US5446612A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Mar 22, 1994 |
| Grant date | Aug 29, 1995 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Mar 22, 2014 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG11B21/21
- WIPO fieldAudio-visual technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A head suspension assembly for a hard disk drive data storage device which prevents contact between the head portion of the mechanism and the surface of the data storage media. An arm member includes a head assembly secured to one end and a bushing at the other end for engaging a rotatable positioning shaft. The arm member applies a resilient beam loading force to urge the arm member away from the media, and includes an aerodynamic airfoil that interacts with the air flow adjacent to the media surface to oppose the beam loading force and move the arm member toward the media to a proper flying height. When the disk is spinning, the negative lift of the airfoil opposes the resilient loading of the arm member and urges the arm member closer to the surface of the rotating media. As the head approaches the rotating surface, the positive lift of the air bearing counterbalances the negative lift from the airfoil such that a dynamic equilibrium is established at a predetermined flying height. The assembly intrinsically prevents head-to-disk stiction and may minimize head crashes that are normally caused by excessive preload.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.