Falling sensor and the information processing device making use of it

• US 20060072236A1
• Filed: 11/21/2005
• Published: 04/06/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/23/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Western Digital Technologies Incorporated (Western Digital Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Masatoshi Ishikawa, Tadashi Okumura, Tatsuya Ito, Tetsuo Yuki, Tsuyoshi Takahashi, Yuji Nishimura
• Inventors: Takahashi, Tsuyoshi, Ito, Tatsuya, Yuki, Tetsuo, Ishikawa, Masatoshi, Nishimura, Yuji, Okumura, Tadashi
• Granted Patent: US 7,301,721 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 360/75
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 15/0891 with indication of predetermined acceleration values G01P15/135 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 19/04 Arrangements for preventing, inhibiting, or warning against double recording on the same blank or against other recording or reproducing malfunctions
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 21/12 Raising and lowering; Back-spacing or forward-spacing along track; Returning to starting position otherwise than during transducing operation
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 5/54 with provision for moving the head into or out of its operative position or across tracks

Abstract

A falling sensor is provided, which detects a falling of a magnetic disk drive or an information processing device installed with said magnetic disk drive and which is effective for avoiding physical damages of magnetic heads and magnetic disk media.

The magnetic disk drive or the information processing device, include an unload mechanism moving or evacuating said magnetic head from a surface of said magnetic disk media, and a falling sensor comprising a conductive flexible beams 9 or members having a compatible function, a conductive weight 10 supported by these beams and a conductive wall 11 arranged to be made contact or non-contact with said weight 10. The sensor can detect a falling of the magnetic disk drive or the information processing device which is typically a notebook personal computer installing with the magnetic disk drive, and evacuate the magnetic head by the unload mechanism.

The conductive wall 11 can be formed as a tubular member.

Claims

1. A disk drive comprising:

a disk;

a head which reads from or writes to said disk; and

a falling sensor including a conductive flexible beam which is deformed by gravity, wherein said falling sensor detects a falling state according to a deflected state of said conductive flexible beam.

2. The disk drive according to claim 1, wherein a conductive weight is attached to said conductive flexible beam, and said conductive flexible beam is deflected by a gravity of said weight.

3. The disk drive according to claim 1, wherein said head is evacuated from over said disk by an unload mechanism when said falling sensor detects a falling state.

4. The disk drive according to claim 1, further comprising a circuit coupled to said falling sensor, wherein said circuit compares an output of said falling sensor to a threshold level for a predetermined time period.

5. The disk drive according to claim 4, wherein the disk drive further includes an unload mechanism that evacuates said head from over said disk after said predetermined time period.

6. The disk drive according to claim 1, further comprising a conductive member positioned to be in contact with said conductive flexible beam when said disk drive is falling.

7. The disk drive of claim 6, wherein said conductive member is not in contact with said conductive flexible beam prior to when said disk drive is falling.