Suspension assembly of actuator for disk drive

• US 20050047021A1
• Filed: 08/04/2004
• Published: 03/03/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 08/25/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Kim, Do-wan, Jeong, Ki-tag
• Granted Patent: US 7,369,366 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 360/245.700
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 5/4833 Structure of the arm assembly, e.g. load beams, flexures, parts of the arm adapted for controlling vertical force on the head G11B5/484 takes precedence

Abstract

A suspension assembly of an actuator for a disk drive to support a slider, on which a read/write head is mounted, elastically biased toward a surface of a disk. The suspension assembly includes: a load beam coupled to an end of a swing arm of the actuator; a flexure supporting the slider and having a fixed end fixed to a surface of the load beam facing the disk and a free end disposed close to a leading end of the load beam; an extender extending from the free end of the flexure; and a limiter limiting a range of up and down vibrations of the extender.

Claims

1. A suspension assembly of an actuator for a disk drive to support a slider, on which a read/write head is mounted, elastically biased toward a surface of a disk, comprising:

a load beam coupled to an end of a swing arm of the actuator;

a flexure supporting the slider and having a fixed end fixed to a surface of the load beam facing the disk and a free end disposed close to a leading end of the load beam;

an extender extending from the free end of the flexure; and

a limiter limiting a range of up and down vibrations of the extender.

2. The suspension assembly of claim 1, wherein the limiter is disposed near a leading end of the load beam.

3. The suspension assembly of claim 1, wherein the limiter is integral with the load beam.

4. The suspension assembly of claim 1, wherein an end of the limiter is connected to the load beam and another end thereof is separated from the load beam.

5. The suspension assembly of claim 1, wherein two ends of the limiter are connected to the load beam.

6. The suspension of claim 5, wherein the limiter is formed of a bent portion of the load beam.

7. The suspension assembly of claim 1, wherein the load beam includes an inclination portion inclined in a lengthwise direction of the load beam between the limiter and the leading end of the load beam.

8. The suspension assembly of claim 1, wherein the limiter has an arc-shaped section.

9. The suspension assembly of claim 1, further comprising an end-tab extending from a leading end of the load beam to park the read/write head on a ramp.

10. The suspension assembly of claim 9, wherein the limiter has an arc-shaped section and the shape of the section extends toward the end-tab.

11. The suspension assembly of claim 1, wherein a buffering coating film is formed at least on a surface of the extender contacting the limiter.

12. The suspension assembly of claim 11, wherein the buffering coating film is made of epoxy resin.

13. The suspension assembly of claim 1, wherein a depth of the limiter is greater than the greatest displacement of the free end of the extender from the load beam.

14. The suspension assembly of claim 1, wherein a gap is formed between the limiter and the extender within a range between a minimum to allows smooth rolling and pitching of the slider and a maximum to prevent deformation of the flexure.

15. The suspension assembly of claim 9, wherein a concave groove is formed in an upper portion of the limiter and extends to about a middle of the end-tab.

16. The suspension assembly of claim 7, wherein the inclination portion connects the limiter to the leading edge of the load beam.

17. An actuator for a disk drive having a suspension assembly supporting a slider, on which a read/write head is mounted, elastically biased toward a surface of a disk, comprising:

a load beam coupled to an end of a swing arm of the actuator;

a flexure supporting the slider and having a fixed end fixed to a surface of the load beam facing the disk and a free end disposed close to a leading end of the load beam;

an extender extending from the free end of the flexure; and

a limiter limiting a range of up and down vibrations of the extender.

18. An actuator suspension assembly for a slider, comprising:

a load beam at an end of a swing arm of the actuator;

a flexure movably connected at an end to the load beam and having a free end, the flexure disposed on a disk-facing side of the load beam;

an extender extending from the free end; and

a limiter which limits vertical movement of the extender.

19. The suspension assembly of claim 18, wherein the limiter has an open side.

20. The suspension assembly of claim 18, wherein the limiter has two ends connected to the load beam.