Dynamic magnetic information storage or retrieval – Head mounting – For adjusting head position
Reexamination Certificate
1998-12-28
2001-07-31
Heinz, A. J. (Department: 2754)
Dynamic magnetic information storage or retrieval
Head mounting
For adjusting head position
C360S294400
Reexamination Certificate
active
06268983
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a head actuator mechanism used for a disc apparatus such as a hard disc apparatus using a disc as an information storage medium.
2. Related Art of the Invention
Magnetic disc apparatuses such as hard disc and floppy disc apparatuses conventionally use the same magnetic head to write and read data. On the contrary, attention is being paid to the application to magnetic disc apparatuses of very sensitive read-only heads using a magnetic-resistance effect element (MR elements), including so-called magnetic-resistance magnetic heads. Of course, the use of such a read-only head requires a separate write-only magnetic head to be provided.
FIG. 40
shows an example of such a magnetic head formed by integrating a write and a read elements as a thin-film structure. This is a head based on a “piggyback” method which is constituted by laminating an MR element
22
acting as a read element and a lead conductor
23
connected to the MR element, via an insulating layer
21
on a head slider
20
, and laminating thereon via an insulating layer
24
a write element comprising a lower and an upper cores
25
and
26
and a write gap
27
and a coil conductor
28
provided between the cores. The magnetic head is disposed so as to be opposed to the magnetic disc
29
as shown in the figure.
Currently, instead of the linear motor method, the rotary actuator method enabling the magnetic head to be moved at a high speed using a small apparatus is often used as a method for driving the magnetic head in the magnetic disc apparatus. As shown in
FIG. 41
, this method uses a rotating shaft
32
as a support point to rotate an arm
31
with a magnetic head
30
attached to its tip in order to move the magnetic head
30
in the radial direction between the inner and outer circumferences of the magnetic disc
29
for seeking. According to this method, the relative angle between the track direction and the magnetic head
30
is not constant in each track. In other words, the azimuth angle (between the gap direction and track width direction of the magnetic head
30
) of the magnetic head
30
varies with the track. If the magnetic head
30
is used for both writes and reads, no problem occurs even if the relative angle between the track direction and the magnetic head varies with the track.
If, however, the magnetic head
30
comprises the individually configured write and read elements arranged on the same slider in parallel as shown in FIG.
40
and the relative angle varies with the track, the trace position may be different for a write element
40
and a read element
41
laminated as shown in FIG.
42
.
FIG. 42
shows a difference in the trace position for the write and read elements
40
and
41
caused by the difference in the relative angle between the track direction and the magnetic head. As shown in FIG.
42
(
a
), when the relative angle between the track direction and the write and read elements
40
and
41
is 90° (corresponding to the azimuth angle of 0°), the write and read elements
40
and
41
trace the same position (shown by arrow
43
) in the same track
42
. On the contrary, if the relative angle between the track direction and the write and read elements
40
and
41
becomes different from 90°, for example, the track
44
is displaced toward the outer circumference relative to the state in FIG.
42
(
a
), as shown in FIG.
42
(
b
), the write element
40
traces the position shown by arrow
45
, while the read element
41
the position shown by arrow
46
which is slightly closer to the inner circumference, resulting in a difference in traced track
44
position (this is called a “track offset”) between writes and reads. Consequently, the read output from the read element
41
decreases in such a way as to correspond to the rate of track offset relative to the track width. The decrease in read output caused by the track offset increases with decreasing track width due to the increasing density of the track, causing an increase in error rate.
As described above, when a magnetic head comprising a write and a read elements that are individually configured is driven by a rotary actuator as in the prior art, the track offset may occur between writes and reads to reduce the read output.
This invention is provided in view of this point, and its object is to provide a magnetic disc apparatus that prevents the track offset between writes and reads even if a magnetic head comprising a write and a read elements that are individually configured is driven by a rotary actuator.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A head actuator mechanism of the present invention has:
a head that records and reproduces data;
a suspension that holds the head;
a support arm;
a drive means for moving the support arm;
a coupling section for coupling said support arm and said suspension together in such a way that said head can move relatively to said support arm; and
at least one piezoelectric element for coupling said support arm and said suspension together to move said head relatively to said support arm for fine tuning,
said piezoelectric element being fixed to said support arm and suspension at both ends.
And the head actuator mechanism according to the above invention is such that said coupling section is another piezoelectric element both ends of which are fixed to said support arm and said suspension.
And the head actuator mechanism according to the above invention is such said coupling section is present on the side of the position at which said piezoelectric element is coupled to said support arm.
And the head actuator mechanism according to the above invention is such that said coupling section is present on the side of the position at which said piezoelectric element is coupled to said suspension.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5189578 (1993-02-01), Mori
patent: 5521778 (1996-05-01), Boutaghou
patent: 5781381 (1998-07-01), Koganezawa
patent: 6108175 (2000-08-01), Hawwa
patent: 6201668 (2001-03-01), Murphy
patent: 4-134681 (1992-08-01), None
patent: 5-47126 (1993-02-01), None
patent: 9-265738 (1997-10-01), None
Imada Katsumi
Kawasaki Osamu
Moritoki Katsunori
Otsuchi Tetsuro
Heinz A. J.
Matsushita Electric - Industrial Co., Ltd.
Ratner & Prestia
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