Magnetic head suspension with load beam support point control

• US 8,203,807 B2
• Filed: 02/08/2008
• Issued: 06/19/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/09/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Suncall Corporation
• Original Assignee: Suncall Corporation
• Inventors: Takasugi, Satoru, Fujimoto, Yasuo, Mashimo, Kenji
• Primary Examiner(s): Renner, Craig A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): POLO, GUSTAVO D
• Application Number:
  US12/028,671
• Publication Number:
  US 20080192383A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,593 Days
• Field of Search: 360/265.9, 360/266, 360/244.5, 360/244.8, 360/245.2
• US Class Current: 360/265.9
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 5/4833 Structure of the arm assembly, e.g. load beams, flexures, parts of the arm adapted for controlling vertical force on the head G11B5/484 takes precedence

Abstract

The present invention provides a magnetic head suspension, wherein a supporting portion such as an arm or base plate includes a pair of supporting pieces extending from its opposite sides in the widthwise direction to a tip-end side of the suspension, and a concave portion which is defined by the pair of supporting pieces and is opened toward the tip-end side of the suspension, there is provided an elastically-deformable elastic plate which is connected to the pair of supporting pieces at a first end and a second end in the widthwise direction of the magnetic head suspension, the member forming the load beam portion is connected to the elastic plate, and the elastic plate forms the load bending portion.

Claims

1. A magnetic head suspension comprising a load bending portion generating a load for pressing a magnetic head slider toward a disk surface, a load beam portion transmitting the load to the magnetic head slider, a supporting portion supporting the load beam portion through the load bending portion, and a flexure portion connected to the load beam portion and supporting the magnetic head slider,

wherein the supporting portion includes a pair of supporting pieces extending from its opposite sides in the widthwise direction to a tip-end side of the suspension, and a concave portion which is defined by the pair of supporting pieces and is opened toward the tip-end side of the suspension,

wherein the load bending portion comprises an elastically-deformable elastic plate which is connected to the pair of supporting pieces at a first end and a second end in the widthwise direction of the magnetic head suspension,

wherein the load beam portion is connected to the elastic plate,

wherein the pair of supporting pieces are bent at bent positions between their base ends and tip ends in such a manner that their tip ends angle towards the disk surface, and

wherein the elastic plate is connected to the pair of supporting pieces at portions closer to the tip ends than the bent positions.

2. A magnetic head suspension comprising a load bending portion generating a load for pressing a magnetic head slider toward a disk surface, a load beam portion transmitting the load to the magnetic head slider, a supporting portion supporting the load beam portion through the load bending portion, and a flexure portion connected to the load beam portion and supporting the magnetic head slider,

wherein the supporting portion includes a pair of supporting pieces extending from its opposite sides in the widthwise direction to a tip-end side of the suspension, and a concave portion which is defined by the pair of supporting pieces and is opened toward the tip-end side of the suspension,

wherein the load bending portion comprises an elastically-deformable elastic plate which is connected to the pair of supporting pieces at a first end and a second end in the widthwise direction of the magnetic head suspension,

wherein the load beam portion is connected to the elastic plate,

wherein the elastic plate includes first and second connected areas which are respectively connected to the pair of supporting pieces, and a center area extending between the first and second connected areas,

wherein the center area includes a center connected portion to which the load beam portion is connected, a first extending portion extending between the center connected portion and the first connected area, and a second extending portion extending between the center connected portion and the second connected area, the second extending portion being symmetrical with respect to the first extending portion with a longitudinal center line of the magnetic head suspension as a reference,

wherein the center connected portion of the elastic plate integrally includes a tip-end-side flat-surface portion which is positioned on a tip-end side of the suspension and which is connected to the load beam portion at an attitude parallel to the load beam portion, a center flat-surface portion which is extended from the tip-end-side flat-surface portion toward the base-end side of the suspension and which is inclined with respect to the tip-end-side flat-surface portion such that it gradually separates from the load beam portion with increasing distance from the tip-end side toward the base-end side and to which the first and second extending portions are connected, and a base-end-side flat-surface portion which is extended toward the base-end side of the suspension from the center flat-surface portion through a bending portion and which is connected to the load beam portion, and

wherein the center flat-surface portion is positioned within the same plane as the plane in which there exist the first and second extending portions and the first and second connected areas in a state before the magnetic head suspension is mounted to a data storage device, and the first and second extending portions are twisted to generate the load in a state where the magnetic head suspension is operated after being mounted to the data storage device.

3. A magnetic head suspension according to claim 2, wherein the center connected portion has a width greater than those of the first and second extending portions.

4. A magnetic head suspension according to claim 3, wherein the center connected portion is extended toward both a tip-end side and a base-end side of the suspension with the first and second extending portions as a reference.

5. A magnetic head suspension comprising a load bending portion generating a load for pressing a magnetic head slider toward a disk surface, a load beam portion transmitting the load to the magnetic head slider, a supporting portion supporting the load beam portion through the load bending portion, and a flexure portion connected to the load beam portion and supporting the magnetic head slider,

wherein the supporting portion includes a pair of supporting pieces extending from its opposite sides in the widthwise direction to a tip-end side of the suspension, and a concave portion which is defined by the pair of supporting pieces and is opened toward the tip-end side of the suspension,

wherein the load bending portion comprises an elastically-deformable elastic plate which is connected to the pair of supporting pieces at a first end and a second end in the widthwise direction of the magnetic head suspension,

wherein the load beam portion is connected to the elastic plate,

wherein the elastic plate includes first and second connected areas which are respectively connected to the pair of supporting pieces, and a center area extending between the first and second connected areas,

wherein the center area includes a center connected portion to which the load beam portion is connected, a first extending portion extending between the center connected portion and the first connected area, and a second extending portion extending between the center connected portion and the second connected area, the second extending portion being symmetrical with respect to the first extending portion with a longitudinal center line of the magnetic head suspension as a reference, and

wherein each of the first and second extending portions has, at both a tip-end side and a base-end side, outer curved portions having a width gradually increased with decreasing distance to the corresponding connected area, and inner curved portions having a width gradually increased with decreasing distance to the center connected portion.

6. A magnetic head suspension comprising a load bending portion generating a load for pressing a magnetic head slider toward a disk surface, a load beam portion transmitting the load to the magnetic head slider, a supporting portion supporting the load beam portion through the load bending portion, and a flexure portion connected to the load beam portion and supporting the magnetic head slider,

wherein the supporting portion includes a pair of supporting pieces extending from its opposite sides in the widthwise direction to a tip-end side of the suspension, and a concave portion which is defined by the pair of supporting pieces and is opened toward the tip-end side of the suspension,

wherein load bending portion comprises an elastically-deformable elastic plate which is connected to the pair of supporting pieces at a first end and a second end in the widthwise direction of the magnetic head suspension,

wherein the load beam portion is connected to the elastic plate,

wherein the load beam portion includes a connected area to which the elastic plate is connected, a tip-end area extending from the connected area toward the tip-end side of the suspension, and a base-end area extending from the connected area toward the base-end side of the suspension,

wherein the elastic plate includes first and second connected areas which are respectively connected to the pair of supporting pieces, and a center area extending between the first and second connected areas,

wherein the center area includes a center connected portion to which the load beam portion is connected, a first extending portion extending between the center connected portion and the first connected area, and a second extending portion extending between the center connected portion and the second connected area, the second extending portion being symmetrical with respect to the first extending portion with a longitudinal center line of the magnetic head suspension as a reference,

wherein the base-end area of the load beam portion includes a balance mass member, and

wherein a length Lg and a length La have a relationship of 0≦

Lg≦

0.3×

La, the length Lg being a length in the longitudinal direction of the magnetic head suspension between a center of gravity of an assembly formed by the load beam portion, the flexure portion, and the balance mass member, and a load bending center line of the first and second extending portions along the widthwise direction of the suspension, and the length La being a length in the longitudinal direction of the suspension between the load bending center line and the center of gravity of a tip-end side portion of the assembly which is closer to the tip-end side of the suspension from the load bending center line.

7. A magnetic head suspension comprising a load bending portion generating a load for pressing a magnetic head slider toward a disk surface, a load beam portion transmitting the load to the magnetic head slider, a supporting portion supporting the load beam portion through the load bending portion, and a flexure portion connected to the load beam portion and supporting the magnetic head slider,

wherein the supporting portion includes a pair of supporting pieces extending from its opposite sides in the widthwise direction to a tip-end side of the suspension, and a concave portion which is defined by the pair of supporting pieces and is opened toward the tip-end side of the suspension,

wherein the load bending portion comprises an elastically-deformable elastic plate which is connected to the pair of supporting pieces at a first end and a second end in the widthwise direction of the magnetic head suspension,

wherein the load beam portion is connected to the elastic plate,

wherein the load beam portion includes a connected area to which the elastic plate is connected, a tip-end area extending from the connected area toward the tip-end side of the suspension, and a base-end area extending from the connected area toward the base-end side of the suspension,

wherein the load beam portion includes a plate portion parallel to the disk surface, and a pair of flange portions which are bent in a direction away from the disk surface at the opposite sides of the plate portion in the widthwise direction of the suspension and which extend in the longitudinal direction of the suspension so as to be across the elastic plate, and

wherein the flange portions have heights gradually decreased as they go from the base end to the tip end.