Head stack assembly enabling independent control of a position of magnetic heads for access to different magnetic disks and support method thereof

• US 6,449,130 B1
• Filed: 06/16/2000
• Issued: 09/10/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 08/05/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Minebea Company Limited (MinebeaMitsumi Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Minebea Company Limited (MinebeaMitsumi Inc.)
• Inventors: Koyama, Toshisada
• Primary Examiner(s): HEINZ, ALLEN J
• Application Number:
  US09/594,688
• Time in Patent Office: 816 Days
• Field of Search: 360/264.4, 360/264.5
• US Class Current: 360/264.4
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 5/4813 Mounting or aligning of arm assemblies, e.g. actuator arm supported by bearings, multiple arm assemblies, arm stacks or multiple heads on single arm G11B5/484 takes precedence

Abstract

A hard disk drive is made small in size, large in storage capacity and high in data reading/writing speed. Two actuator blocks (3) are fixed to a sleeve 16A of a first pivot and sleeve (16B) of a second pivot, respectively. Position of magnetic heads to be accessed to different magnetic disks are controlled independently by the actuator block 3 basis. Therefore, it is possible to distribute the reading/writing processing to the plurality of magnetic disks and perform these processing in parallel, to thereby increase the data reading/writing speed while increasing the storage capacity.

Claims

1. A head stack assembly, comprising:

a pivot assembly provided with a plurality of pivots that support a plurality of actuator blocks supporting head suspensions so as to be independently rotatable, while being arranged so that rotational axes thereof are made in series;

sleeves supported through bearings to the shaft; and

a spacer having an inner circumference that is abutted to an inner race of each bearing, the spacer also having an outer circumference that is positioned between the sleeves.

2. The head stack assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the plurality of pivots are axially supported to a common shaft.

3. A supporting method of a head stack assembly, comprising:

supporting a plurality of actuator blocks that support head suspensions so as to be independently rotatable while being arranged such that rotational axes thereof are made in series;

supporting sleeves through bearings to the shaft; and

abutting an inner circumference of a spacer to an inner race of each bearing while an outer circumference thereof is positioned between the sleeves.