Dynamic magnetic information storage or retrieval – Record transport with head stationary during transducing – Disk record
Reexamination Certificate
2000-07-12
2002-12-03
Davis, David (Department: 2652)
Dynamic magnetic information storage or retrieval
Record transport with head stationary during transducing
Disk record
C360S097040
Reexamination Certificate
active
06490124
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a disk drive apparatus for recording and/or reproducing a recording medium with a disk shape such as a magnetic disk or an optical disk, which is stored rotatably inside a disk cartridge.
2. Prior Art
The conventional art, for example, may be exemplified by a Removable Hard Disk Drive (hereinafter referred to as an R-HDD) as a mass storage device, which is used in an information processing apparatus such as a computer. The R-HDD records or reproduces information signals on a magnetic disk, which is rotatably stored inside a disk cartridge. The disk cartridge may be used detachably for the R-HDD.
FIG. 1
shows an embodiment of a configuration of an R-HDD.
FIG. 2
shows an embodiment of a configuration of a disk cartridge to be stored in the R-HDD.
As shown in
FIG. 1
, the R-HDD
100
comprises a spindle motor
102
, a chucking magnet
103
, a head actuator
105
and a holder
106
inside an apparatus body
101
of an R-HDD
100
, in which a disk cartridge is inserted. The spindle motor
102
rotatably drives the magnetic disk, which is rotatably stored inside the disk cartridge. The chucking magnet
103
comprises a permanent magnet attached to the spindle motor
102
. The head actuator
105
is provided with a floating head slider
104
, on which a magnet head for recording or reproducing the information signals on the magnetic disk is mounted, at a head end. The holder
106
holds the disk cartridge that is inserted inside the apparatus body
101
.
On the other hand, as shown in
FIG. 2
, in a disk cartridge
200
, a magnetic disk
201
is clipped by a cartridge body
204
, comprising an upper half
202
and a lower half
203
. In this arrangement, an approximately center of the magnetic disk
201
is provided with a hub
205
. The hub
205
comprises a ferromagnetic body designed to chuck using a permanent magnet. On the contrary, in the cartridge body
204
, an opening (hereinafter referred to as an opening for a hub)
206
is defined on an approximately center of the lower half
203
. The opening
206
causes the hub
205
attached to the magnetic disk
201
to face outside. The cartridge body
204
is provided with an opening (hereinafter referred to as an opening for a head)
207
at a portion of the build-up-peripheral-wall
204
a
of the side face. The opening
207
causes the head actuator
105
of the R-HDD
100
to approach inside of the disk cartridge
200
. Further, in order to prevent the dust or the like from inserting therein, the disk cartridge
200
is provided with a shutter mechanism
208
for shutting up the opening for the hub
206
and the opening for the head
207
when they are not used.
In the R-HDD
100
, when the disk cartridge
200
is inserted inside of the apparatus body
101
, the opening for the hub
206
and the opening for the head
207
of the disk cartridge
200
are open. Then, the disk cartridge
200
comes down toward the spindle motor
102
together with the holder
106
. At this time, the hub
205
of the magnetic disk
201
facing to outside from the opening for the hub
206
of the disk cartridge
200
is stuck to the chucking magnet
103
attached to the spindle motor
102
. As a result of that, the spindle motor
102
can hold the magnetic disk
201
, which is stored in the disk cartridge
200
.
In the R-HDD
100
, upon reproducing the record, the spindle motor
102
rotatably drives the magnetic disk
201
, which is stored inside the disk cartridge
200
. Also in the R-HDD
100
, if the magnetic disk
201
is rotatably driven at a predetermined number of rotations, the head actuator
105
approaches from the opening for the head
207
of the disk cartridge
200
. Then, the floating head slider
104
attached to the head end of the head actuator
105
records or reproduces the information signals on the magnetic disk
201
by the magnet head mounted on the floating head slider
104
. At the same time, the floating head slider
104
is floating slightly by the air film which is generated between the floating head slider
104
and the magnetic disk
201
which is rotating.
In the R-HDD
100
, the disk cartridge
200
is discharged from the apparatus body
101
of the R-HDD
100
by an adverse operation to the above stated operation when the usage of the disk cartridge
200
was over.
As described above, upon recording or reproducing the information signals on the magnetic disk
201
which is stored inside of the disk cartridge
200
, R-HDD
100
is provided with the floating slider
104
, floating over a surface for recording signals of the magnetic disk
201
, which is rotating with a minute distance according to an aerodynamic influence. As a result of that, the magnet head, which is mounted, on the floating slider
104
and the magnetic disk
201
can be prevented from being touched to be worn out.
However, in the R-HDD
100
, the magnetic disk
201
is rotating at a high speed as the floating head slider
104
is floating over a main surface of the magnetic disk
201
which is rotating with a minute distance, for example, some tens of nano meters. On this account, the R-HDD
100
is very weak for the dust or the like. Accordingly, if the dust or the like inserts inside of the disk cartridge
200
and it sticks to the surface of the magnetic disk
201
, even the very minute dust may cause the disk cartridge
200
to record the information signals defectively. Further, in some instances, it is feared that the dust or the like inserts between the magnetic disk
201
and the floating head slider
104
so that the magnetic disk
201
is damaged and the magnet head mounted on the floating head slider
104
is physically clashed (head clash).
The magnetic disk
201
rotates inside of the disk cartridge
200
so that airflow is generated on the main surface of the magnetic disk
201
in the R-HDD
100
. Then, a kind of influence caused by a centrifugal pump is generated, so that a vicinity of a rotation center of the magnetic disk
201
inside of the disk cartridge
200
comes to have a negative pressure. As a result of that, outside air containing the dust or the like communicates through the opening for the hub
206
, which is provided on the center portion of the lower half
203
of the cartridge body
204
, to flow into inside of the disk cartridge
200
. At the same time, air inside of the disk cartridge
200
flows out from the opening for the head
207
, which is disposed on the build-up-peripheral-wall
204
a
of the side face of the disk cartridge body
204
.
Therefore, there was the case that the outside air containing the dust or the like flowed into the opening for the hub
207
in the R-HDD
100
, so that the inside of the disk cartridge
200
was polluted.
Also, there was the case that the outside air containing the dust or the like flowed into the inside of the apparatus body
101
of the R-HDD
100
, inserted the disk cartridge
200
, even from a small gap of the apparatus body
101
due to spreading or locally decreasing of a pressure. As a result of that, the inside of the apparatus body
101
and the inside of the disk cartridge
200
was polluted.
There is an idea that a surrounding area of the opening for the hub
206
of the disk cartridge
200
is shielded by a shielding member to prevent the outside air containing the dust or the like from flowing into the inside of the R-HDD
100
. However, since the vicinity of the rotation center of the magnetic disk
201
inside of the disk cartridge
200
comes to have a negative pressure in the R-HDD
100
, a pressure of the vicinity of the spindle motor
102
for holding the magnetic disk
201
also comes down. Thus, there is a problem that a grease inside of the spindle motor
102
, an operational fluid or air bubbles inside of the magnet fluid seal blows out to pollute the inside of the disk cartridge
200
.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has been made taking the foregoing problem into consideration, an object of which is to provide a disk drive apparatus for pe
Mamiya Toshio
Sanada Yotaro
Takahashi Kazuo
Yamada Takashi
Yamamoto Kazuyuki
Davis David
Frommer William S.
Frommer & Lawrence & Haug LLP
Ryan Matthew K.
LandOfFree
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