Suspension for disc drive

Details Suspension for disc drive Suspension for disc drive

2001-03-26

2003-02-18

Cao, Allen (Department: 2652)

Dynamic magnetic information storage or retrieval

Head mounting

Disk record

Reexamination Certificate

active

06522503

ABSTRACT:

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority from the prior Japanese Patent Application No. 2000-112282, filed Apr. 13, 2000, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a suspension for a disc drive disposed in an information processing apparatus such as a personal computer.
In a disc drive provided with a rotary magnetic disc or a magneto optical disc, a magnetic head is used to record or read data with respect to a disc recording surface. This magnetic head includes a slider disposed opposite to the disc recording surface, and a transducer disposed in a slider. When the disc rotates at a high speed, the slider slightly lifts above the disc, and an air bearing is therefore formed between the disc and the slider.
In an example shown by
FIG. 22
, a suspension for disc drive for holding the magnetic head includes a load beam
1
of a precise plate spring, a flexure
2
of a thin plate spring fixed to a tip end of the load beam
1
, and a base plate
3
fixed to a base of the load beam
1
. A slider
4
is attached to a tip end of the flexure
2
.
In an assembling process of such suspension, it is remarkably important to accurately position the load beam
1
and flexure
2
. Positions of the load beam
1
and flexure
2
which have to be originally in an accurate positional relation deviate, and a position of the slider
4
attached later deviates.
For example, as shown in
FIG. 22
, it is assumed that a position deviation &Dgr;C is produced between a center line C
1
of the load beam
1
and a center line C
2
of the flexure
2
. In this case, as shown in
FIG. 23
, distances D
1
, D
2
between a center C
3
of the slider
4
and opposite sides of the flexure
2
differ from each other. As a result, a dynamic balance of spring pressures P
1
, P
2
on opposite sides of the flexure
2
is destroyed, and the slider
4
cannot be stabilized and cannot be lifted above the disc. In this case, data is unstably written or read with respect to the disc.
To mutually position the load beam
1
and flexure
2
, a positioning jig
10
as shown in
FIG. 24 and 25
has been proposed. Two reference holes
11
,
12
are formed in the load beam
1
. Two reference holes
13
,
14
are also formed in the flexure
2
. One common positioning pin
15
is inserted into the reference holes
11
,
13
positioned on the left side in FIG.
25
. Two positioning pins
16
,
17
independent of each other are inserted into the reference holes
12
,
14
positioned on the right side. When the pins
16
,
17
are pulled in directions shown by arrows F
1
, F
2
in
FIG. 24
by urging means
18
such as a spring or actuator, the load beam
1
and flexure
2
are positioned. These positioning pins
15
,
16
,
17
are disposed on a common jig main body
19
.
Since the urging means
18
is disposed in the conventional positioning jig
10
,, a structure is remarkably complicated. Additionally, in the positioning jig
10
, the positions of the pins
15
,
16
,
17
are required to be managed with high precision. Therefore, when a plurality of jigs
10
are manufactured, it is difficult to manufacture the same jig. When the number of jigs
10
increases, a dispersion of the jig
10
tends to increase. As a result, positioning precision of the load beam
1
and flexure
2
is deteriorated. Moreover, since the constitution of the jig
10
is complicated, it needs to be constantly monitored/checked whether or not the urging means
18
accurately operates, and this requires remarkably much troublesome and time.
Additionally, the conventional positioning jig
10
requires three pins
15
,
16
,
17
. One of these pins is the pin
15
common to the load beam
1
and flexure
2
. For the remaining two pins
16
,
17
, one is the pin
16
for pulling the load beam
1
, and the other is the pin
17
for pulling the flexure
2
. Since two pins
16
,
17
independent of each other are used, the positions of the pins
16
,
17
sometimes deviate from each other in an Y-axis direction in FIG.
24
. This also deteriorates the position precision of the load beam
1
with the flexure
2
.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a suspension for a disc drive in which a load beam and flexure can accurately be positioned, and a constitution of a positioning jig can be simplified.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a suspension for a disc drive having a load beam, and a flexure fixed at a predetermined position of the load beam and provided with a magnetic head section, the suspension for the disc drive comprising:
a first reference hole which is formed in the vicinity of one end of the load beam and into which a first positioning pin is inserted; a first spring portion which is formed in a part of the load beam including an inner peripheral edge of the first reference hole and which abuts on the first positioning pin with elastic deformation to urge the load beam in an axial direction thereof; a second reference hole which is formed in the vicinity of the other end of the load beam and into which a second positioning pin is inserted; a second spring portion which is formed in a part of the load beam including an inner peripheral edge of the second reference hole and which abuts on the second positioning pin with the elastic deformation to urge the load beam in the axial direction thereof; a third reference hole which is formed in the vicinity of one end of the flexure and into which the first positioning pin is inserted; a third spring portion which is formed in a part of the flexure including an inner peripheral edge of the third reference hole and which abuts on the first positioning pin with elastic deformation to urge the flexure in an axial direction thereof; a fourth reference hole which is formed in the vicinity of the other end of the flexure and into which the second positioning pin is inserted; and a fourth spring portion which is formed in a part of the flexure including an inner peripheral edge of the fourth reference hole and which abuts on the second positioning pin with the elastic deformation to urge the flexure in the axial direction thereof.
In the suspension of the present invention, the first positioning pin is inserted into the first and third reference holes, and the second positioning pin is inserted into the second and fourth reference holes. When the first and third spring portions abut on the first positioning pin, the load beam and flexure are pulled in the axial direction, using the first positioning pin as a support. Moreover, since the second and fourth spring portions abut on the second positioning pin, the load beam and flexure are pulled in the axial direction, using the second positioning pin as the support. The load beam and flexure are positioned by two positioning pins in this manner.
According to the present invention, the respective spring portions formed on the load beam and flexure are utilized to pull the load beam and flexure in the axial direction thereof. Therefore, the positioning jig for positioning the load beam and flexure may be provided with two positioning pins. Additionally, since it is unnecessary to dispose the urging means on the positioning jig, a constitution of the positioning jig is simplified. Moreover, the positioning jig can accurately position the load beam and flexure without being influenced by positioning pin precision. The respective spring portions of the load beam and flexure are used only once in principle during positioning of one suspension. Therefore, spring fatigue or change with elapse of time does not have to be considered, monitoring check necessary for the urging means of a conventional positioning jig is unnecessary, and high precision is always obtained.
In the present invention, the first and second spring portions are, for example, elastically deformable portions between a pair of slits formed along the axial direction in th

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