Dynamic magnetic information storage or retrieval – Record transport with head stationary during transducing – Disk record
Reexamination Certificate
2001-11-30
2003-02-11
Cao, Allen (Department: 2652)
Dynamic magnetic information storage or retrieval
Record transport with head stationary during transducing
Disk record
Reexamination Certificate
active
06519111
ABSTRACT:
This application claims the priority benefit of Japanese Patent Application No. 2000-365850, filed on Nov. 30, 2000, and entitled “Disk Drive Apparatus, Hard Disk Drive, Filter and Method for Inspecting Disk Drive Apparatus.”
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a disk drive apparatus such as a hard disk drive, and more particularly to a filter attaching structure for preventing the entrance of dust into the disk drive apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
The most commonly used hard disk drive (hereinafter referred to as a HDD) as data storage means for computers has structure in which a single or plurality of magnetic disks are disposed coaxially and driven by a spindle motor. Data reading and writing are done by magnetic heads provided in opposition to the magnetic disks. The magnetic heads are driven by an actuator (generally, by a voice coil motor (hereinafter referred to as a VCM)). The magnetic disks, the magnetic heads, and the actuator are stored in a case called a disk enclosure. The disk enclosure is constructed of an aluminum alloy base in the form of a thin box, and a top cover for scaling an opening of the base. A gasket is provided on the circumference of a surface of the top cover opposed to the base. The base and the top cover are assembled so that the gasket is pressed against the top face of the circumferential wall of the base. In this manner, the disk enclosure is hermetically sealed.
The temperature within the disk enclosure rises due to the influence of the high rotational speed of magnetic disks, etc. Here, assume that the air within the disk enclosure expands with a rise in temperature and leaks from the gasket to the outside. There is a possibility that if the temperature within the disk enclosure falls, the air within the disk enclosure will shrink and therefore air will enter the disk enclosure from the outside. At this time, if dust and evaporated organic or inorganic substance, contained in the entering air, get into the disk enclosure, the magnetic head will crash against the dust or the organic or inorganic substance solidified on the disk surface during use of HDD, which will destroy the magnetic head or the magnetic disk. To prevent the entrance of dust into the disk enclosure, the HDD has a filter provided on the top cover or base. This filter is called a breather filter. This breather filter becomes a flow passage in which the circulation between the internal air and the external air is created by the expansion and contraction of the air within the disk enclosure due to temperature rise and fall. The breather filter is used to reduce the entrance of dust or evaporated organic or inorganic substance from the outside, to the degree that device performance is not affected.
A conventional breather filter will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 7
is a plan view showing the lower surface of a top cover
100
. In the top cover
100
, the upper surface means a surface that is exposed to the outside when the disk enclosure is constructed, while the lower surface means a surface that faces the disk enclosure in opposition to the base. A gasket
101
is stuck on the circumference of the lower surface of the top cover
100
so that the disk enclosure is hermetically sealed. In addition, a breather filter
102
is stuck on the lower surface of the top cover
100
by adhesive double-coated tape.
FIG. 7
also shows a perspective view of the breather filter
102
. Note that in the breather filter
102
shown in
FIG. 7
, a surface on which the top cover
100
is stuck is upward.
FIG. 8
is an exploded perspective view of the breather filter
102
. In the figure, a surface that is stuck on the top cover
100
is downward. As illustrated in
FIG. 8
, the breather filter
102
is constructed mainly of a filter case
103
, a filter main body
104
to be housed in the filter case
103
, and an air vent film
105
for covering the upper surface of the filter main body
104
.
FIG. 9
shows the upper surface (
FIG. 9A
) and lower surface (
FIG. 9B
) of the filter case
103
.
In
FIGS. 8 and 9
, the filter case
103
is constructed of a circular bottom wall
103
a,
and a circumferential wall
103
b
extending upward from the circumference of the bottom wall
103
a.
The upper surface of the bottom wall
103
a
has an air vent groove
103
a
1
, while the lower surface has an air vent groove
103
a
2
. Note that the upper surface of the bottom wall
103
a
in the filter case
103
refers to a lower surface in
FIG. 8
, while the lower surface refers to an upper surface in FIG.
8
. The air vent groove
103
a
1
formed in the upper surface of the bottom wall
103
a
is a circular arc groove with the center of the bottom wall
103
a
as its starting point and an air vent hole
103
a
3
passing through the bottom wall
103
a
as its terminating point. The air vent groove
103
a
2
formed in the lower surface of the bottom wall
103
a
has an air vent hole
103
a
3
as its starting point and the center of the bottom wall
103
a
as its terminating point. Thus, the air vent groove
103
a
1
and the air vent groove
103
a
2
are communicated with each other through the air vent hole
103
a
3
.
Adhesive double-coated tape
106
is bonded on the upper surface of the bottom wall
103
a
of the filter case
103
, and adhesive double-coated tape
107
is bonded on the lower surface. Therefore, the air vent groove
103
a
1
forms a closed space between itself and the adhesive double-coated tape
106
. Similarly, the air vent groove
103
a
2
forms a closed space between itself and the adhesive double-coated tape
107
. However, since through holes
106
a
and
107
a
are formed in the centers of the adhesive double-coated tapes
106
and
107
, as shown in
FIG. 8
, portions corresponding to the through holes are in communication with the outside.
The filter main body
104
is housed within the filter case
103
. When this occurs, the filter main body
104
is bonded and fixed by the adhesive double-coated tape
107
bonded on the lower surface of the bottom wall
103
a.
Then, the air vent film
105
is stuck on the upper surface (in
FIG. 8
) of the filter main body
104
. In this manner, the components are integrated into the breather filter
102
. The adhesive double-coated tape
107
bonded on the upper surface of the bottom wall
103
a
bonds the breather filter
102
on the top cover
100
. This state is shown in
FIGS. 10 and 11
. That is, the centers of the through hole
100
a
formed in the top cover
100
, the through hole
106
a
of the adhesive double-coated tape
106
, and the breather filter
102
are aligned with one another, and the breather filter
102
is fixed to the top cover
100
by the adhesive double-coated tape
106
.
When the air within the disk enclosure expands, air will flow out to the outside through the following path. That is, the air within the disk enclosure passes through the air vent film
105
, the filter main body
104
, the through hole
107
a
of the adhesive double-coated tape
107
, the air vent groove
103
a
2
, the air vent hole
103
a
3
, the air vent groove
103
a
1
, the through hole
106
a
of the adhesive double-coated tape
106
, and the through hole
100
a
of the top cover
100
in the recited order and flows out to the outside. On the other hand, when the outside air flows into the disk enclosure because of a fall in the temperature within the disk enclosure, the outside air passes through the through hole
100
a
of the top cover
100
, the through hole
106
a
of the adhesive double-coated tape
106
, the air vent groove
103
a
1
, the air vent hole
103
a
3
, the air vent groove
103
a
2
, the through hole
107
a
of the adhesive double-coated tape
107
, the filter main body
104
, and the air vent film
105
in the recited order. Therefore, even if the entering air contains dust or an evaporated organic or inorganic substance, the entrance of dust into the disk enclosure can be reduced to the degree that device performance is not affected, because the
Hirasaka Yoshihiro
Koyanagi Ichiroh
Takeuchi Kohichi
Bracewell & Patterson L.L.P.
Cao Allen
International Business Machines - Corporation
Martin Robert B.
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