Diaphragm-sealed disc drive

• US 6,317,286 B1
• Filed: 01/25/2000
• Issued: 11/13/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 01/29/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Seagate Technology LLC (Seagate Technology Holdings Plc)
• Original Assignee: Seagate Technology LLC (Seagate Technology Holdings Plc)
• Inventors: Boutaghou, Zine-Edine, Beatty, Paul Allison, Fayeulle, Serge Jacques, Murphy, James Morgan
• Primary Examiner(s): Davis, David
• Assistant Examiner(s): CASTRO, ANGEL A
• Application Number:
  US09/490,602
• Time in Patent Office: 658 Days
• Field of Search: 360/97.02, 360/97.03, 360/97.01, 360/98.01, 95/14, 95/15
• US Class Current: 360/97.02
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 25/043 using rotating discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 33/1446 Reducing contamination, e.g. by dust, debris
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 33/1486 Control/regulation of the pressure, e.g. the pressure inside the housing of a drive

Abstract

An apparatus for minimizing corrosion product build-up within a disc drive incorporates a non-corrosive gas hermetically sealed within the disc drive and a diaphragm chamber that allows the constrained non-corrosive gas to respond to changes in pressure and temperature. The diaphragm chamber includes a diaphragm that partitions the diaphragm chamber into a top and bottom chambers. The top chamber has an aperture for communicating with the external environment and the bottom chamber has an aperture for communicating with the internally constrained non-corrosive gas. The diaphragm is non-permeable and made of an elastic material that responds to changes in air volume or mass on either side of the partition so that the pressure inside the hermetically sealed disc drive is constant throughout the life of the device. The diaphragm chamber can be located inside or outside the disc drive and can be integrally formed within the top cover of the disc drive.

Claims

1. A hermetically sealed disc drive that is responsive to changes in gas volume, the disc drive comprising:

a hermetically sealed housing constraining a gas, the housing including a baseplate;

a spin motor mounted to the baseplate rotating an information storage disc;

an actuator assembly mounted on the baseplate swinging an actuator arm, carrying a read/write head, over the information storage disc; and

a diaphragm chamber for responding to changes in gas volume, the diaphragm chamber comprising;

a first portion positioned in the disc drive accommodating changes in the volume of the constrained gas;

a first aperture providing an air passage between the disc drive'"'"'s external environment and the first portion; and

a flexible diaphragm hermetically sealing the first portion from the constrained gas, wherein the diaphragm responds to changes in the volume of the constrained gas within the hermetically sealed disc drive.

2. The disc drive of claim 1, further comprising a second diaphragm chamber for responding to changes in the volume of the constrained gas.

3. The disc drive of claim 1, further comprising an environmental protection switch operatively engaged by the diaphragm to cause a signal when the diaphragm has flexed a predetermined amount.

4. The disc drive of claim 1, wherein the constrained gas within the disc drive is non-corrosive.

5. The disc drive of claim 4, wherein the constrained gas within the disc drive is selected from the group consisting essentially of argon, nitrogen, hydrogen, helium, fluorocarbon and hydrocarbon.

6. The disc drive of claim 4, further comprising an oxygen scavenger material selected from the group consisting essentially of magnesium and copper.

7. The disc drive of claim 1, wherein the diaphragm is a polyester film.

8. The disc drive of claim 7, wherein the diaphragm has a thin metal coating.

9. The disc drive of claim 7, wherein the diaphragm is Mylar™

.

10. The disc drive of claim 1, wherein the diaphragm is impermeable.

11. The disc drive of claim 1, further comprising:

a diaphragm chamber second portion, the second portion separated from the first portion by the flexible diaphragm; and

a second aperture in the second portion providing an air passage between the disc drive'"'"'s internally constrained gas and the second portion.

12. The disc drive of claim 11 further comprising a top cover that includes a top stamping and a bottom stamping and, wherein the top and bottom stampings house the diaphragm chamber.

13. The disc drive of claim 12, wherein the first aperture is positioned through the first stamping and the second aperture is positioned through the second stamping.

14. A disc drive diaphragm chamber for responding to internal changes in gas volume in a hermetically sealed disc drive, the chamber comprising:

a constrained gas within the disc drive reducing the effects of corrosion product build-up within the disc drive;

a first portion positioned in the disc drive accommodating changes in the volume of the constrained gas;

a first aperture providing an air passage between the disc drive'"'"'s external environment and the first portion; and

a diaphragm sealing the first portion from the constrained gas, wherein the diaphragm responds to volumetric changes in the disc drive'"'"'s constrained gas.

15. The diaphragm chamber of claim 14, further comprising:

a second portion separated from the first portion by the diaphragm, the second portion including an aperture so that the second portion is in communication with the disc drive'"'"'s constrained gas.

16. The diaphragm chamber of claim 14, wherein the constrained gas within the disc drive is non-corrosive.

17. The diaphragm chamber of claim 16, wherein the constrained gas within the disc drive is selected from the group consisting essentially of argon, nitrogen, hydrogen, helium, fluorocarbon and hydrocarbon.

18. The diaphragm chamber of claim 14, wherein the diaphragm is a polyester film.

19. The diaphragm chamber of claim 18, wherein the diaphragm has a thin metal coating.

20. A hermetically sealed disc drive assembly that is responsive to changes in gas volume, the disc drive assembly comprising:

a housing with a hermetic seal for constraining a gas inside the disc drive assembly; and

means responding to a change of temperature or pressure to adjust the constrained gas volume without breaking the hermetic seal.