Dynamic magnetic information storage or retrieval – Head mounting – For adjusting head position
Reexamination Certificate
2001-11-30
2003-04-01
Cao, Allen (Department: 2652)
Dynamic magnetic information storage or retrieval
Head mounting
For adjusting head position
Reexamination Certificate
active
06542337
ABSTRACT:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application claims priority from Japanese Priority Document No. 2000-372750, filed on Dec. 7, 2000 with the Japanese Patent Office, which document is hereby incorporated by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a hard disk apparatus that is structured such that sticking of a magnetic head thereof to a record surface of a magnetic disk is prevented by providing additional actuator on a support member for the magnetic head.
2. Description of the Related Art
A hard disk apparatus performs recording and reproduction of information to or from a record surface of a magnetic disk as a recording medium while rotating the magnetic disk and moving a magnetic head along a radial direction of the magnetic disk.
When the magnetic head touches the record surface of the magnetic disk while the rotation of the magnetic disk is stopped, so-called sticking phenomenon such that the magnetic head sticks to the record surface of the magnetic disk occurs. The smoother the record surface of the magnetic disk is formed, the more conspicuous the sticking phenomenon becomes.
When the magnetic disk starts to rotate while the magnetic head is sticking to the record surface of the magnetic disk, there is a possibility that either the magnetic head or the record surface of the magnetic disk is damaged, or that the magnetic disk becomes impossible to rotate.
In recent years, as the high density recording of magnetic disks becomes popular, it becomes necessary to improve smoothness of the record surface of the magnetic disk for high density recording. In order to obtain enough smoothness of the record surface of the magnetic disk, the material of a disk substrate has been changed from an aluminum substrate to a glass substrate. In this case, it is performed that the record surface of the magnetic disk is divided into a record area in which information is recorded and an exclusive area on which the magnetic head is placed at the time when the magnetic disk is stopped its rotation, and accordingly the surface of the magnetic disk at the exclusive area is formed to be relatively rough for preventing the sticking phenomenon of the magnetic head to the record surface of the magnetic disk at the time when the magnetic disk is stopped its rotation.
Moreover, as another technique for preventing the sticking phenomenon of the magnetic head, it is proposed to provide a structural mechanism for separating the magnetic head compulsively from the record surface of the magnetic disk in a direction orthogonal to the record surface at the time when the magnetic disk is stopped its rotation.
However, in the case where the exclusive area is formed on the magnetic disk, there is a problem at first such that it is difficult to manufacture such magnetic disk to have different degrees of surface roughness between the exclusive area thereof and the recording area thereof without any difference in thickness. Moreover, secondly, because the quantity of the floatation of the magnetic head above the record surface has to be decreased as the recording density of the magnetic disk becomes increased, there is the possibility that fine dust is generated in the exclusive area, namely in the area in which the degree of surface roughness is increased, when the magnetic head tentatively collides with the record surface of the exclusive area of the magnetic disk during the rotation of the magnetic disk.
Moreover, by the aforesaid technique to provide the structural mechanism for separating the magnetic head from the record surface, the structure of the structural mechanism is complicated and the cost thereof is getting high. Moreover, there is also the possibility that the magnetic head collides with the record surface of the magnetic disk to damage each other when the magnetic head is moved by the structural mechanism.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention was made in view of such actual circumstances, one of aspects of the present invention is to provide a hard disk apparatus having no necessity of forming an exclusive area, which is difficult to produce, for placing a magnetic head on a magnetic disk, and capable of preventing the generation of fine dust, and being simple in structure and cheap in cost, and further having no possibility of damaging the magnetic head and the magnetic disk.
According to the present invention, a hard disk apparatus comprises: a magnetic disk; a magnetic head for recording and/or reproducing data to/from the magnetic disk; a bendable support member for supporting the magnetic head; a first actuator coupled to the bendable support member for moving the magnetic head in a redial direction of the magnetic head; and a second actuator mounted in the mid portion of the bendable support member for moving the magnetic head independent on the first actuator.
More specifically, the present invention relates to a hard disk apparatus which comprises: a magnetic disk having a record surface where information is recorded or reproduced while rotating; a magnetic head for recording and reproducing the information on the record surface; a bendable supporting member having a length, wherein the supporting member supports the magnetic head at a tip of the supporting member; a first actuator connected with a base part of the supporting member, wherein the first actuator displaces the supporting member in a radial direction of the record surface to shift the magnetic head in the radial direction of the record surface; and two second actuators disposed with a space between each other in a direction orthogonal to the length direction of the supporting member at a position between the tip and the base part of the supporting member, wherein the second actuators expand and contracting in the length direction of the supporting member to shift the magnetic head minutely in the radial direction of the record surface, wherein the supporting member is elastically distorted by an air flow to be generated between the magnetic disk and the magnetic head when the magnetic disk rotates, and thereby the magnetic head is floated from the magnetic disk, and further the supporting member elastically returns when the magnetic disk stops, and thereby the magnetic head is kept to be in a state of contacting the record surface of the magnetic disk, and further the hard disk apparatus expands or contracts the two second actuators to generate displacement or a vibration of the supporting member in the direction orthogonal to the length direction or in the length direction when the magnetic disk starts to shift to its stopping state to its rotation state.
According to the hard disk apparatus of the present invention, even if the magnetic head sticks to the record surface of the magnetic disk when the magnetic head contacts the recording surface of the magnetic disk, the hard disk apparatus generates displacement or a vibration of the supporting member in a direction orthogonal to the length direction or the length direction by expanding or contracting the two actuators, and thereby the state such that the magnetic head sticks to the record surface of the magnetic disk can be released.
Consequently, the hard disk apparatus has no necessity of forming an exclusive area, which is difficult to produce, for placing a magnetic head on a magnetic disk differently from conventional art, whereby the generation of fine dust can be prevented. Moreover, because the hard disk apparatus does not need to be equipped with a complex mechanism for separating the magnetic head from the magnetic disk, the structure of the hard disk apparatus becomes simple to make the cost thereof cheap. Consequently, the hard disk apparatus has no possibility of damaging the magnetic head and the magnetic disk.
REFERENCES:
patent: 6301080 (2001-10-01), Boutaghou
patent: 6331923 (2001-12-01), Mei
patent: 6335848 (2002-01-01), Mei
patent: 6335849 (2002-01-01), Khan et al.
patent: 6404600 (2002-06-01), Hawwa et al.
Cao Allen
Maioli Jay H.
Sony Corporation
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