Metal working – Method of mechanical manufacture – Electrical device making
Patent
1996-04-19
1998-10-06
Hall, Carl E.
Metal working
Method of mechanical manufacture
Electrical device making
H01R 900
Patent
active
058159150
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to a method of processing signal wires for holding signal wires flexibly and adapted for operations in fixing the signal wires to a circuit board, etc.
BACKGROUND TECHNOLOGY
FIG. 8 is a view for explaining a prior art method of processing signal wires. Concretely, FIG. 8 shows a head arm assembly 1 of a magnetic disk device for explaining a method of connecting a magnetic head to a control circuit by signal wires.
The head arm assembly 1 comprises magnetic heads 3, 4 and 5, suspensions 6, 7 and 8, an arm body 9, a movable coil 10, a holder 11, and a bracket 12.
The magnetic heads 3, 4 and 5 are components for recording information on and regenerating the information from a magnetic disk, not shown. The suspensions 6, 7 and 8 have the magnetic heads 3, 4 and 5 at their tip ends and apply a load to the magnetic heads 3, 4 and 5. The arm body 9 has a coil attaching portion 9b for fixing the movable coil 10 thereto and a body 9a for rotatably attaching the suspensions 6, 7 and 8 to a pivotal shaft, not shown, by the holder 11.
An FPC (Flexible Printed Circuit) 13 is fixed to the bracket 12, and it is also fixed to the arm body 9 by the holder 11 like the suspensions 6, 7 and 8. The FPC 13 is provided for applying signal wires issued by the magnetic heads 3, 4 and 5 to a control circuit, not shown, by way of signal wires 14, 15 and 16, and it has pads 13a for soldering the signal wires 14, 15 and 16 thereto and the number of pads 13a corresponds to the number of signal wires 14, 15 and 16.
A method of assembling the head arm assembly 1 is described now. A head assembly 17 comprising the magnetic head 3, the suspension 6, and the signal wire 14 is first assembled, and then head assemblies 18 and 19 each comprising the same arrangement as the head assembly 17 are assembled.
Successively, the movable coil 10 is fixed to the coil attaching portion 9b of the arm body 9 by adhesion, etc., and the FPC 13 is likewise fixed to the bracket 12 by adhesion, etc. Thereafter, the head assemblies 17, 18 and 19, the arm body 9 and the bracket 12 are arranged at predetermined positions. Then, a cylindrical portion 11a of the holder 11 is enlarged in its diameter by a ball swaging tool and fixed to all the aforementioned components while it is inserted into all the aforementioned components.
Thereafter, the signal wires 14, 15 and 16 are fixed to the pads 13a of the FPC 13 by soldering so that the assembly of the head arm assembly 1 is completed.
Whereupon, since the signal wires 14, 15 and 16 are normally very thin, and are difficult to be handled and seen by the naked eye, an operator must hold the signal wires 14, 15 and 16 with tweezers while confirming thereof by way of a magnifier. Then the operator carries out the operation for connecting the signal wires 14, 15 and 16 to the FPC 13 while paying very careful attention not to cut these signal wires, namely, he carries out an operation for processing the signal wires.
However, there are the following problems in the prior art method.
In processing the signal wires according to the prior art method, working efficiency is made worse since an operator uses a magnifier. Further, the signal wires are thin and are easily cut, which makes it difficult to adjust the strength of a force to be applied to the signal wires when the signal wires are held with tweezers, and hence a skillful operation is needed.
Meanwhile, even if it is intended to automate the processing operation, it is difficult to keep the signal wires in a constant shape, since the signal wires are very thin, and hence the signal wires (particularly distal ends thereof) are not stabilized in positions thereof. Accordingly, when the distal ends of the signal wires are held by a robot, a high image processing technique is needed. Still further, there is a problem in that it is difficult to control a force to be applied to the signal wires since the strength of each signal wire is weak even if the signal wires are transferred to given positions while the distal ends ther
REFERENCES:
IBM Technical Disclosure Bulletin, vol. 20, No. 7, pp. 2792-2793 "Vacuum Assisted Hand Guided Test Probe" Dec. 1977.
Citizen Watch Co. Ltd.
Goims Christopher
Hall Carl E.
Hewlett-Packard Co.
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