Low-stress disc drive microactuator cradle
US6320730A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jul 22, 1999 |
| Grant date | Nov 20, 2001 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jul 22, 2019 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG11B5/5552
- WIPO fieldAudio-visual technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A dual-stage actuation assembly for a disc drive includes a movable actuator arm and a load beam connected to the actuator arm. A pad is attached to the load beam, and a hinge extends from the pad. A microactuator cradle is attached to the pad by the hinge, and includes a slider support structure having first and second beams that are bendable in response to control signals and a gimbal attached to the slider support structure for supporting the slider between the first and second beams over a surface of a disc. A first piezoelectric element is coupled to the first beam for bending the first beam in response to control signals in a selected direction, and a second piezoelectric element is coupled to the second beam for bending the second beam in response to the control signals in the selected direction. Bending of the first and second beams causes the microactuator cradle to rotate with respect to the pad about the hinge in a plane generally parallel to the surface of the disc, thereby effecting high resolution displacement of the transducing head carried by the slider.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.