Swageless mount plate or unimount arm based milliactuated suspension

• US 6,765,761 B2
• Filed: 04/24/2002
• Issued: 07/20/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 04/24/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Western Digital Technologies Incorporated (Western Digital Corporation)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Arya, Satya Prakash
• Primary Examiner(s): EVANS, JEFFERSON A
• Application Number:
  US10/131,520
• Publication Number:
  US 20030202286A1
• Time in Patent Office: 818 Days
• Field of Search: 360/244.2, 360/244.3, 360/244.5, 360/244.7, 360/244.8, 360/294.1, 360/294.3, 360/294.4
• US Class Current: 360/244.7
• 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 milliactuated disk drive suspension assembly includes a mount plate, a functional end for supporting a transducer-carrying slider, a hinge disposed between the mount plate and the functional end, and a sway compliant region on the mount plate adapted to facilitate displacement of the functional end in a trackwise sway direction relative to the mount plate. A pair of milliactuators can be mounted to span the compliant region in a closely spaced arrangement to develop maximum mechanical advantage between a milliactuator actuating stroke and a transducer sway stroke. The mount plate is free of swage mounting features and is mounted to a disk drive actuator arm using a swageless interconnection that allows the milliactuators to be closely spaced so as to improve their mechanical advantage.

Claims

1. A method of manufacturing a disk drive suspension assembly, comprising:

forming a suspension having a mount plate, a functional end for supporting a slider, a hinge disposed between said mount plate and said functional end, and a sway compliant region on said mount plate;

said mount plate being free of swage mounting features; and

mounting said suspension to an actuator arm using a swageless interconnection.

2. A method in accordance with claim 1 wherein said swageless interconnection comprises an adhesive bond.

3. A method in accordance with claim 1 wherein said swageless interconnection comprises a pin or snap connection.

4. A method in accordance with claim 1 wherein said swageless interconnection comprises a damping system provided by a viscoelastic film between said mount plate and said actuator arm.

5. A method in accordance with claim 1 wherein said swageless interconnection comprises said mount plate being integral with said actuator arm to provide a unimount arm configuration.

6. A method in accordance with claim 1 further including mounting a pair of milliactuators on said suspension so as to span said sway compliant region.

7. A method in accordance with claim 6 wherein said milliactuators are positioned to develop at least a ten-fold mechanical advantage between a milliactuator actuating stroke and a transducer sway stroke.

8. A method in accordance with claim 6 wherein said milliactuators are positioned to develop a transducer sway stroke offset of at least about 1 micron on each side of a nominal position of said transducer.

9. A method in accordance with claim 6 wherein said milliactuators are positioned in a mutually parallel relationship.

10. A method in accordance with claim 9 wherein said milliactuators are spaced from each other by a distance of not more than about 1 millimeter.

11. A method in accordance with claim 10 wherein said suspension has an overall length of not more than about 11 millimeters.

12. A disk drive suspension assembly, comprising:

a mount plate;

a functional end for supporting a slider;

a hinge disposed between said mount plate and said functional end;

a sway compliant region on said mount plate;

said mount plate being free of swage mounting features;

a pivotable actuator having an actuator arm; and

a swageless interconnection mounting said suspension to said actuator arm.

13. A suspension assembly in accordance with claim 12 wherein said swageless interconnection comprises an adhesive bond.

14. A suspension assembly in accordance with claim 12 wherein said swageless interconnection comprises a pin or snap connection.

15. A suspension assembly in accordance with claim 12 wherein said swageless interconnection comprises a damping system provided by a viscoelastic film between said mount plate and said actuator arm.

16. A suspension assembly in accordance with claim 12 wherein said swageless interconnection comprises said mount plate being integral with said actuator arm to provide a unimount arm configuration.

17. A suspension assembly in accordance with claim 12 further including a pair of milliactuators mounted on said suspension so as to span said compliant region.

18. A suspension assembly in accordance with claim 17 wherein said milliactuators are positioned there is at least a ten-fold mechanical advantage between a milliactuator actuating stroke and a transducer sway stroke.

19. A suspension assembly in accordance with claim 17 wherein said milliactuators are positioned to develop a transducer sway stroke offset of at least about 1 micron on each side of a nominal position of said transducer.

20. A suspension assembly in accordance with claim 17 wherein said milliactuators are positioned in a mutually parallel relationship.

21. A suspension assembly in accordance with claim 20 wherein said milliactuators are spaced from each other by a distance of not more than about 1 millimeter.

22. A suspension assembly in accordance with claim 21 wherein said suspension has an overall length of not more than about 11 millimeters.

23. In a disk drive having a housing, a rotatable data storage medium in housing designed to store data in a series of concentric data tracks, a transducer-carrying slider supported above said data storage medium, and a suspension assembly, said suspension assembly comprising:

a mount plate;

a functional end for supporting said slider;

a hinge disposed between said mount plate and said functional end;

a sway compliant region on said mount plate;

said mount plate being free of swage mounting features;

a pivotable actuator having an actuator arm; and

a swageless interconnection mounting suspension to said actuator arm.

24. A disk drive in accordance with claim 23 wherein said swageless interconnection comprises an adhesive bond.

25. A disk drive in accordance with claim 23 wherein said swageless interconnection comprises a pin or snap connection.

26. A disk drive in accordance with claim 23 wherein said swageless interconnection comprises a damping system provided by a viscoelastic film between said mount plate and said actuator arm.

27. A disk drive in accordance with claim 23 wherein said swageless interconnection comprises said mount plate being integral with said actuator arm to provide a unimount arm configuration.

28. A disk drive in accordance with claim 23 further including a pair of milliactuators mounted on said suspension so as to span said compliant region.

29. A disk drive in accordance with claim 28 wherein said milliactuators are positioned there is at least a ten-fold mechanical advantage between a milliactuator actuating stroke and a transducer sway stroke.

30. A disk drive in accordance with claim 28 wherein said milliactuators are positioned to develop a transducer sway stroke offset of at least about 1 micron on each side of a nominal position of said transducer.

31. A disk drive in accordance with claim 28 wherein said milliactuators are positioned in a mutually parallel relationship.

32. A disk drive in accordance with claim 31 wherein said milliactuators are spaced from each other by a distance of not more than about 1 millimeter.

33. A disk drive in accordance with claim 32 wherein said suspension has an overall length of not more than about 11 millimeters.