Hard disk drive cover with protruding blades for reducing disk and HGA vibration

• US 7,450,338 B2
• Filed: 12/23/2004
• Issued: 11/11/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/19/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Hur, Sung-chul
• Primary Examiner(s): Miller; Brian E.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kayrish; Matthew G
• Application Number:
  US11/019,172
• Publication Number:
  US 20050185325A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,419 Days
• Field of Search: 360/97.02, 720/655, 720/648, 720/651, 420/651
• US Class Current: 360/97.02
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 25/043 using rotating discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 33/08 Insulation or absorption of undesired vibrations or sounds
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 5/40 Protective measures on heads, e.g. against excessive temperature G11B5/31 takes precedence; protection against wear G11B5/255 ; protective structure of the head: see under structures, e.g. G11B5/3106
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 5/6005 Specially adapted for spacing from a rotating disc using a fluid cushion

Abstract

A hard disk drive having a housing with a base and a cover connected to each other, a spindle motor connected to the base, a disk mounted on the spindle motor and rotating with respect to the base, and an actuator rotatably connected to the base and supporting a slider with a magnetic head mounted on a front end thereof. The magnetic head writes and/or reads data to and/or from the disk. The hard disk drive also has a blade protruding from a surface of the base and/or a portion of the cover facing the disk. The blade guides an air flow caused by rotation of the disk toward an outer edge of the disk.

Claims

1. A hard disk drive comprising:

a housing including a base and a cover connected to the base;

a spindle motor connected to the base;

a disk mounted to the spindle motor and rotating with respect to the base;

an actuator rotatably connected to the base and including a slider supported by the actuator and a magnetic head mounted on a front end of the slider, the magnetic head writing and/or reading data to and/or from the disk; and

a plurality of blades protruding from at least one of a surface of the base or a portion of the cover facing the disk, and guiding an air flow, caused by rotation of the disk, toward an outer edge of the disk, wherein a side surface of the blade on which the air flow caused by the rotation of the disk is incident is inclined to guide the air flow to a surface of the disk;

wherein the blades are spiral-shaped in a direction opposite to rotation of the disk.

2. The hard disk drive of claim 1, wherein respective lines connecting a first end of each of the blades adjacent to a center of the disk with a second end of the respective blade adjacent to the outer edge of the disk is inclined at a predetermined angle in a rotational direction of the disk from a line extending radially from the center of the disk and passing through the respective first ends of the blades.

3. The hard disk drive of claim 2, wherein the angle is obtuse.

4. The hard disk drive of claim 2, wherein the angle is acute.

5. The hard disk drive of claim 1, wherein each of the blades curves in a rotational direction of the disk from a first end adjacent to a center of the disk to a second end adjacent to the outer edge of the disk, to have a spiral shape.

6. The hard disk drive of claim 1, wherein a surface of the blade on which the air flow caused by the rotation of the disk is incident is inclined to guide the air flow to a surface of the disk.

7. The hard disk drive of claim 1, wherein the blade is disposed before the actuator with respect to a direction of the air flow, to block the air flow caused by the rotation of the disk from flowing to the actuator.

8. The hard disk drive of claim 1, further comprising a recursive filter disposed outside an outer edge of the disk, wherein an end of one of the blades adjacent to the outer edge of the disk is disposed before the recursive filter with respect to a direction of the air flow, to guide the air flow caused by rotation of the disk toward the recursive filter.

9. The hard disk drive of claim 1, wherein the blades have the same shape, and are disposed at regular angular intervals.

10. A cover for a hard disk drive having a base, a cover connected with the base, and an actuator rotatably connected with the base to read and/or write data from and/or to a disk, the cover comprising:

Curved blades extending toward the disk to guide an air flow induced by rotation of the disk to an outer edge of the disk, to reduce disk vibration, one of the blades being positioned upstream of the actuator, adjacent an operating range of the actuator, to suppress vibration of the actuator, wherein a side surface of the blade on which the air flow caused by the rotation of the disk is incident is inclined to guide the air flow to a surface of the disk;

Wherein the blades are spiral-shaped in a direction opposite to rotation of the disk.

11. A hard disk drive comprising:

a housing including a base and a cover connected to the base;

a rotatable disk mounted to a spindle motor; and

a plurality of blades protruding toward the disk from either surface of the base or a surface of the cover, and guiding an air flow, caused by rotation of the disk, toward an outer edge of the disk, wherein a side surface of each of the blades on which the air flow caused by the rotation of the disk is incident is inclined to guide the air flow to a surface of the disk

wherein the blades are spiral-shaped in a direction opposite to rotation of the disk.