Device and method for monitoring lubricant within a disk drive
US6678113B2 · kind B2 · utility
5Cited by
10References
24Claims
0Family size
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Mar 19, 2001 |
| Grant date | Jan 13, 2004 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Mar 12, 2022 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG11B19/04
- WIPO fieldAudio-visual technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A device for monitoring lubricant within a disk drive includes a reservoir packet impregnated with lubricant. The reservoir packet is disposed between a first metal screen and a second metal screen such that a lubricant reservoir transducer is created. The capacitance of the lubricant reservoir packet is monitored and when it falls below a predetermined percentage of the initial capacitance, a user is warned to back up the files contained in the disk drive before failure due to lack of lubricant occurs.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.