Dynamic magnetic information storage or retrieval – Head mounting – For moving head into/out of transducing position
Reexamination Certificate
2002-03-01
2004-11-30
Davis, David (Department: 2652)
Dynamic magnetic information storage or retrieval
Head mounting
For moving head into/out of transducing position
C360S097010
Reexamination Certificate
active
06826018
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a disk drive for reading from and/or writing to a spinning-type discoidal recording medium and more particularly to a device structure of a compact, low profile disk drive.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Memory cards that are compact, highly portable, and capable of storing massive data such as Compact-Flash card, Smart Media, Memory Stick, SD memory card (all are registered trademarks), and the like have been put to practical use in late years for the purpose of transferring data of large size like an image data, etc. between small apparatuses such as digital camera and portable information device (PDA and cellular phone, for instance), or between any such device and personal computer and the like.
However, such memory cards naturally have limitations on further increase in their memory capacities because they use flash memories as recording media.
One of the techniques expected to break through these limitations pertains to disk-type write/read device (hereinafter referred to as disk drive), represented by magnetic write/read devices such as hard disk drives.
There is continuing advancement of magnetic disk drives in particular, toward higher recording density year after year with substantial improvement in magnetic heads for writing and/or reading data and magnetic recording layer formed on discoidal recording media (hereinafter referred to as recording medium), as well as progress in technology of signal processing, and the range of uses of the disk drives is expanding broadly into many fields besides the ordinary computers.
Described hereinafter is an example of a structure of magnetic disk drive as a representative structure of the conventional disk drive.
FIG. 13
is a perspective view showing a main portion of magnetic disk drive
100
of the prior art. Magnetic recording medium
101
is supported by main shaft
102
and rotatory driven by spinning means
103
. Slider
104
having a magnetic head element (not shown in the figure, and hereinafter referred to simply as magnetic head) for performing writing and reading functions is fixed to support arm
105
. Further, the support arm
105
is mounted in a rotatable manner to bearing unit
106
.
Rotating means
107
rotates the support arm
105
to move the magnetic head to a position corresponding to a given track on the magnetic recording medium
101
. Flexible wiring board
108
makes signal transmission to the magnetic head and supplies electricity to the rotating means
107
.
The flexible wiring board
108
is extended from a side surface of the baring unit
106
, and connected to control circuit
109
disposed to an inside of base
110
a
. In addition, there is connector
111
disposed to one end of the base
110
a
for connection of the magnetic disk drive to another device.
The base
110
a
is provided with screw holes
112
, to which an unillustrated cover is mounted with screws, to complete an integrated housing
110
.
In the magnetic disk drive
100
of the prior art constructed as above, an airflow occurs on a surface of the magnetic recording medium
101
when the magnetic recording medium
101
is spun by the spinning means
103
, and the slider
104
rested on the surface of the magnetic recording medium
101
levitates. Data is written on the magnetic recording medium
101
, and the data recorded on the recording medium
101
is read by the magnetic head in its levitating state as described above.
In order to make such a magnetic disk drive of the prior art mountable to a portable information device such as cellular phone, PDA, and the like, it is necessary to make its shape and specifications compatible with a memory card utilizing a semiconductor that has already been put to practical use. Moreover, it is also necessary to realize the disk drive of large capacity and low cost as compared to the memory card utilizing a semiconductor in order to differentiate it from the semiconductor memory card.
There have been proposed heretofore a number of techniques for instance, to construct a magnetic disk drive of large capacity in the size of memory card utilizing a semiconductor, and some of them have been put to practical use.
To construct a magnetic disk drive compatible with the memory card, the proposed technique must fulfill four requirements all together.
The four requirements are:
1) planar dimensions (length×width) compatible with the memory card;
2) a thickness compatible with the memory card;
3) resistance to shock to an extent generally equivalent to the memory card; and
4) a storage capacity greater than that of the memory card.
International Publication, No. WO 00/74049, for instance, discloses a disk drive of such a structure that a housing is provided with a cavity in an area outside of a rotating space of a support arm, and semiconductors are mounted on an exterior surface of this cavity.
The technique proposed there is this structure that achieves a size compatible with the external dimensions (approximately 43 mm by 36 mm by 3.3 mm) of the Compact Flash card which is one kind of the semiconductor memory card.
In this example, although a reduction in thickness is attainable to such an extent necessary for mounting semiconductors, there is not disclosed any technique to further reduce the device into a size of the still thinner semiconductor memory card (e.g., the Memory Stick, the SD memory card, and the like) required for installation in a portable information device.
In other words, it is difficult to realize a disk drive having the desired shape and storage capacity according to the technique disclosed there.
Furthermore, there is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication, No. H08-7504 (U.S. Pat. No. 5,671,197), a magnetic disk drive of such a structure that a resistor is connected in series with a coil of a voice coil motor in order to reduce power consumption of the voice coil motor, which otherwise gives rise to a problem in the course of attempting miniaturization of the disk drive. According to it, there is provided the disk drive equipped with a magnetic recording medium of 0.7 inch (approximately 17 mm) in diameter, with unit dimensions of approximately 19 mm wide by approximately 26 mm long by approximately 10.5 mm thick.
According to this disclosed example, although the magnetic disk drive has a shape sufficiently permissible to a portable information device in respect of the planer dimensions, its thickness is not the size permissible for installation into the portable information device.
In addition, it is necessary to install at least plural units of the disk drives in order to provide a larger storage capacity than the semiconductor memory card. If this is the case, an overall size of the device becomes so large as to make it difficult to be mounted into the portable information device.
Described next pertains to a structure of a prior art magnetic disk drive, which is designed to improve a resistance to shock, with a special emphasis placed on a structure associated with a head supporting device.
FIG. 14
is a plan view depicting a structure of magnetic disk drive
250
of the prior art.
In
FIG. 14
, head supporting device
208
comprises suspension
202
of a comparatively low rigidity, plate spring
203
, and support arm
204
of a comparatively high rigidity. In this structure, the suspension
202
is provided with slider
201
having a magnetic head (not show in the drawing) mounted to an underside surface at one end of it.
In addition, magnetic recording medium
207
is so disposed that it is spun by spindle motor
209
. During writing and/or reading operation in the magnetic disk drive
250
, the magnetic head mounted to the slider
201
levitates above the magnetic recording medium
207
, as it receives a certain amount of levitation associated with a levitational force due to airflow generated by spinning of the magnetic recording medium
207
and a thrusting force of the plate spring
203
which shifts the slider
201
toward the magnetic recording medium
207
.
This structure of the head supporting de
Kuwajima Hideki
Matsuoka Kaoru
Miyamoto Makoto
Obata Shigeo
Sakamoto Ken'ichi
Davis David
Matsushita Electric - Industrial Co., Ltd.
RatnerPrestia
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