Dual actuator pivot bearing system and method for making the same

• US 6,603,640 B1
• Filed: 07/13/2000
• Issued: 08/05/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 07/13/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi Global Storage Technologies Netherlands BV (Western Digital Corporation)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Misra, Ambrish A., Dominguez, Miguel, Prater, Walter L.
• Primary Examiner(s): OMETZ, DAVID LOUIS
• Application Number:
  US09/615,171
• Time in Patent Office: 1,118 Days
• Field of Search: 360/264.4, 360/264.7, 360/265.2, 360/265.4, 360/265.6
• US Class Current: 360/265.6
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 19/54 Systems consisting of a plurality of bearings with rolling friction spindle bearings F16C35/08
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 2370/12 Hard disk drives or the like
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 35/06 Mounting or dismounting of ball or roller bearings; Fixing them onto shaft or in housing
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 5/4806 specially adapted for disk drive assemblies, e.g. assembly prior to operation, hard or flexible disk drives G11B5/488 - G11B5/54 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 5/5521 across disk tracks spiral track following G11B5/596
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49025 Making disc drive
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49696 Mounting
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49904 Assembling a subassembly, then assembling with a second subassembly
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49945 by driven force fit

Abstract

A dual actuator pivot bearing system and method for making the same is disclosed, wherein the need for adhesive bonding is eliminated and assembly time is minimized. The dual actuator pivot includes a first and a second actuator bearing assembly that include an upper sleeve having an upper and lower ball bearing press fitted into the upper sleeve to form the first actuator bearing assembly and a lower sleeve having an upper ball bearing press fitted into the sleeve to form the second actuator bearing assembly, the first and second actuator bearing assemblies being press fitted to a shaft assembly comprising a shaft having a ball bearing press fitted at a shaft base. The first and second actuator bearing assemblies are press fitted using a predetermined axial load that is tuned to select a desired resonance frequency for the first and second actuator bearing assemblies. The shaft may also include steps selected to have diameters matching bearing bore diameters graded from large to small going from a first end of the shaft to a second end of the shaft. Further, the shaft may be chilled to shrink the shaft. Alternatively, the components may be heated.

Claims

1. A disk drive, comprising:

at least one rotatable disk;

at least first and second separately movable heads for providing transducing action with respect to the disk;

first and second head actuators, wherein the first head actuator provides radial movement of said first head relative to said disk and said second actuator provides radial movement of said second head relative to said disk, the radial movement provided by each actuator being separately controllable from that of the other actuator;

a dual actuator pivot for mounting the first and second actuators, the dual actuator pivot further comprising a first and a second actuator bearing assembly each having a sleeve and at least one bearing press fitted together, the first and second actuator bearing assemblies are press fitted to a shaft for rotatably securing the first and second head actuators respectively, wherein the first and a second actuator bearing assemblies further comprise an upper and lower ball bearing press fitted into a top and bottom bore of an upper sleeve respectively to form the first actuator bearing assembly and a lower sleeve having an upper ball bearing press fitted into a top bore of the lower sleeve to form the second actuator bearing assembly, the first and second actuator bearing assemblies being press fitted to the shaft assembly comprising the shaft having a ball bearing press fitted at a shaft base; and

at least one controller, operatively coupled to the first and second head actuators for controlling the movement of the first and second head actuators about the dual actuator pivot, the at least one controller producing control signals to control the movement of the first and second actuators.

2. The disk drive of claim 1 further comprising a spacer disposed between the first and second actuator bearing assemblies.

3. The disk drive of claim 1 wherein the first and second actuator bearing assemblies are press fitted using a predetermined axial load.

4. The disk drive of claim 3 wherein the predetermined axial load is tuned to select a desired resonance frequency for the first and second actuator bearing assemblies.

5. The disk drive of claim 1 wherein the shaft comprises steps.

6. The disk drive of claim 5 wherein the steps are selected to have diameters matching bearing bore diameters graded from large to small going from a first end of the shaft to a second end of the shaft.

7. The disk drive of claim 6 wherein the steps match bearing bore diameters graded from large to small going from the bottom to the top of the shaft so that the bearings at the bottom of the shaft do not produce high frictional forces against the full length of the shaft during assembly.

8. The disk drive of claim 1 wherein the shaft is a flangeless shaft comprising large diameter areas formed at a first and second end of the shaft and a reduced diameter area between the large diameter areas.

9. The disk drive of claim 1 wherein the large diameter areas provide an interference press fit with the upper ball bearing press fitted into the top bore of the upper sleeve and with the bail bearing press fitted at the shaft base and provide a snug slip fit at the reduced diameter area for the lower ball bearing press fitted into the bottom bore of the upper sleeve and the upper ball bearing press fitted into the top bore of the lower sleeve.

10. The disk drive of claim 1 wherein the first and second bearing assemblies are press fit onto the shaft using a predetermined axial load to achieve a desired preload.

11. A dual actuator pivot, comprising a first and a second actuator bearing assembly each having a sleeve and at least one bearing press fitted together, the first and second actuator bearing assemblies are press fitted to a shaft for rotatably securing first and second head actuators respectively, wherein the first and second actuator bearing assembles further comprise an upper and lower ball bearing press fitted into a top and bottom bore of an upper sleeve respectively to form the first actuator bearing assembly and a lower sleeve having an upper ball bearing press fitted into a top bore of the sleeve to form the second actuator bearing assembly, the first and second actuator bearing assemblies being press fitted to a shaft assembly comprising the shaft having a ball bearing press fitted at a shaft base.

12. The dual actuator pivot of claim 11 further comprising a spacer disposed between the first and second actuator bearing assemblies.

13. The dual actuator pivot of claim 11 wherein the first and second actuator bearing assemblies are press fitted using a predetermined axial load.

14. The dual actuator pivot of claim 13 wherein the predetermined axial load is tuned to select a desired resonance frequency for the first and second actuator bearing assemblies.

15. The dual actuator pivot of claim 11 wherein the shaft comprises steps.

16. The dual actuator pivot of claim 15 wherein the steps are selected to have diameters matching bearing bore diameters graded from large to small going from a first end of the shaft to a second end of the shaft.

17. The dual actuator pivot of claim 16 wherein the steps match bearing bore diameters graded from large to small going from the bottom to the top of the shaft so that the bearings at the bottom of the shaft do not produce high frictional forces against the full length of the shaft during assembly.

18. The dual actuator pivot of claim 11 wherein the shaft is a flangeless shaft comprising large diameter areas formed at a first and second end of the shaft and a reduced diameter area between the large diameter areas.

19. The dual actuator pivot of claim 18 wherein the large diameter areas provide an interference press fit with the upper ball bearing press fitted into the top bore of the upper sleeve and with the ball bearing press fitted at the shaft base and provide a snug slip fit at the reduced diameter area for the lower ball bearing press fitted into the bottom bore of the upper sleeve and the upper ball bearing press fitted into the top bore of the lower sleeve.

20. The dual actuator pivot of claim 11 wherein the first and second bearing assemblies are press fit onto the shaft using a predetermined axial load to achieve a desired preload.