Dynamic magnetic information storage or retrieval – Head mounting – For moving head into/out of transducing position
Reexamination Certificate
2001-11-20
2003-01-14
Nguyen, Hoa T. (Department: 2652)
Dynamic magnetic information storage or retrieval
Head mounting
For moving head into/out of transducing position
Reexamination Certificate
active
06507461
ABSTRACT:
This national stage application claims priority from Japanese Patent Application No. JP 11-147521 filed on May 27, 1999.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a disk apparatus, particularly a latch mechanism for preventing an actuator arm, which is a component of the disk apparatus, from flying out from an unloading position because of an external shock. More particularly, the invention relates to an inertial latch that utilizes an inertial operation.
DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART
FIG. 13
is a diagram showing the essential parts of the inertial latch of a conventional disk apparatus
120
.
In the same diagram, the central portion of a disk
101
is held integrally on a hub
118
of a spindle motor
117
disposed on a base
100
and is rotated at a desired speed. An actuator arm
102
is freely rotatably held on a rotating shaft
105
stood up in the base
100
and is driven in the directions of arrows L
1
and M
1
by means of a voice coil motor (not shown). The voice coil motor will hereinafter be referred to as a VCM.
The actuator arm
102
has a slider
103
formed on the point end portion thereof through suspension means (not shown). At predetermined positions on this slider
103
, read and write heads are disposed. If the actuator arm
102
is loaded and rotated in the direction of arrow L
1
over the recording surface of the disk
101
being rotated, the slider
103
flies over the recording surface of the disk
101
and the read and write heads are opposed with a predetermined space to the recording surface.
When the actuator arm
102
is unloaded to its home position, a tab
119
of the point end portion of the actuator arm
102
is placed on a ramp
104
and the actuator arm
102
is locked in that position by slight regulating force such as frictional force.
The actuator arm
102
holds the slider
103
, and at the opposite positions from this slider
103
with respect to the rotating shaft
105
, coil supports
106
a
and
106
b
are formed so that the coil of the VCM (not shown) is interposed therebetween.
When the actuator arm
102
is at the position shown in
FIG. 13
, the coil support
106
a
abuts an outer crash stop (hereinafter referred to as an outer C/S)
107
having elasticity and therefore the rotation of the actuator arm
102
in the direction of arrow M
1
is regulated. This position is referred to as a home position for the actuator arm
102
.
A lever
109
curved at an obtuse angle is freely rotatably held on a rotating shaft
108
stood up in the base
100
, and in the point end portion of the lever
109
, a pair of operating pins
110
and
111
is formed with a predetermined space. A latch
116
is freely rotatably held on a rotating shaft
112
stood up in the base
100
, and has a first abutting portion
113
that the operating pin
111
of the lever
109
abuts and a second abutting portion
114
that the operating pin
110
abuts.
The point end portion of the latch
116
on the same side as the second abutting portion
114
with respect to the rotating shaft
112
has a hooked protrusion
115
. The hooked protrusion
115
engages with the coil support
106
a
of the actuator arm
102
at predetermined timing to be described later, thereby regulating rotation of the actuator arm
102
in the direction of arrow L
1
.
The latch
116
is slightly urged clockwise by an urging means (not shown) so that it does not interfere with rotation of the actuator arm
102
when access to the disk is allowed. With the urging force, the latch
116
and the lever
109
are balanced at an actuator-release position shown in
FIG. 13
where both the operating pin
111
and the first abutting portion
113
and also both the operating pin
110
and the second abutting portion
114
abut each other at the same time.
The actuator arm
102
holding the coil, the lever
109
, and the latch
116
are each constructed so that the center of gravity is present on each axis of rotation and rotational force does not occur due to a shock that is produced by linear movement.
On the other hand, because of a shock produced by movement accompanied by rotation, there is a possibility that the actuator arm
102
will rotate and fly out from its unloading position. But, the inertial latch has the function of preventing the actuator arm
102
from flying out from the unloading position.
There are various kinds of motions accompanied by rotation and it is not easy to analyze all the motions. But, as a simple example, consider the case where the hard-disk apparatus is rotated on a point on the apparatus and crashed against a fixed surface.
FIG. 16
shows a test table
130
for giving a shock to the hard-disk apparatus
120
. This test table
130
is used for freely rotatably holding the entire hard-disk apparatus
120
and constructed so that the axis of the rotating shaft
131
approximately aligns with that of the rotating shaft
105
of the actuator arm
102
.
FIG. 16
shows the condition when the disk
101
is located above the rotating shaft
131
. If the hard-disk apparatus
120
is rotated from this condition in the direction of arrow L
4
to crash the side portion
121
thereof against a rubber stopper
132
on a stopper table
133
, as shown in
FIG. 17
, this shock causes the actuator arm
102
, the lever
109
, and the latch
116
to rotate counterclockwise, i.e., in the directions of arrows L
1
, L
2
, and L
3
, respectively, as shown in FIG.
14
. In the same figure, the movement of the inertial latch at this time is shown. The operating pin
111
of the lever
109
pushes the first abutting portion
113
of the latch
116
and assists the latch
116
to rotate in the direction of arrow L
3
. The rotation of the latch
116
in the direction of arrow L
3
causes the protrusion
115
to engage with the coil support
106
a
of the actuator arm
102
, whereby the rotation of the actuator arm
102
in the direction of arrow L
1
is prevented.
Note that it is considered that nearly the same angular acceleration is produced in the actuator arm
102
, the latch
116
, and the lever
109
, respectively. With respect to the angle through which the actuator arm
102
moves from its home position to the position regulated by the latch
116
, the angle through which the lever
109
moves from the actuator-arm-release position to the regulating position in order to rotate the latch
116
is designed to be smaller. For this reason, the latch
116
rotates rapidly, whereby the engagement between the protrusion
115
of the latch
116
and the coil support
106
a
of the actuator arm
102
becomes possible.
Next, if the hard-disk apparatus
120
is rotated from the condition in
FIG. 16
in the direction of arrow M
4
to crash the side portion
122
thereof against the rubber stopper
132
on the stopper table
133
, as shown in
FIG. 18
, this shock causes the actuator arm
102
, the lever
109
, and the latch
116
to rotate clockwise, i.e., in the directions of arrows M
1
, M
2
, and M
3
, respectively, as shown in FIG.
15
. In the same figure, the movement of the inertial latch at this time is shown.
Although the latch
116
attempts to rotate in the direction of arrow M
3
, finally it rotates in the direction of arrow L
3
, because the force of pushing the second abutting portion
114
of the latch
116
by the operating pin
110
of the lever
109
having a larger moment of inertia is strong.
On the other hand, the actuator arm
102
is rotated once in the direction of arrow M
1
, but the coil support
106
a
crashes against the outer C/S
107
, which has elasticity and limits rotation in the same direction. With the reaction, the actuator arm
102
rotates in the direction of arrow L
1
.
However, at this time, the latch
116
rotates in the direction of arrow L
3
as previously described and the protrusion
115
engages with the coil support
116
a.
In a condition such as the one shown in
FIG. 15
, the rotation of the actuator arm
102
in the direction of arrow L
1
is prevented.
In the aforementioned manner, the actuator arm
102
in its home position is
Ishikawa Jun
Kimura Shin-ichi
Ohta Mutsuro
Takahashi Kohji
Bracewell & Patterson L.L.P.
Martin Robert B.
Nguyen Hoa T.
Watko Julie Anne
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